Graduation
by xiajem18
Summary: Hinamori Amu has not seen Tsukiyomi Ikuto for six years. Today is the day of her graduation and she is ready to leave her old problems behind. But what happens when a certain blue eyed cat boy decides to crash her graduation? Amuto! Rated T, just in case.
1. The Night Before

**Hello! Xiajem here. So this is my first attempt at a fanfiction that features Amuto! I hope you like it :D Of course, I do not own Shugo Chara or any of its characters. HAPPY READING!**

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It had been six years; six years since Amu has last seen Ikuto, leaping nimbly away to find his father. Before leaping away, Ikuto had left her with a soft kiss on the cheek. She had treasured that kiss through the years. Unconsciously, her hand lifted to her cheek and if she concentrated enough, she could still feel his soft lips brushing her skin.

"Ikuto…"

She stood on her balcony, gazing at the moon. Her room hadn't changed much over the years. The posters had changed with the times but the room was still pink. Her thoughts, as always, were on a certain blue haired cat boy with sapphire eyes. She had missed him terribly over the past six years. Her heart was left with a hole she couldn't quite fill and she had carried it with her all those years. After Ikuto left, she realized how much she loved him and how much she needed him. Her crush on Tadase paled in comparison to what she felt for Ikuto.

She had sailed through high school with her "cool and spicy" character, becoming the most popular girl in the entire school. She was asked out on dates on a regular basis but she rejected them all. No one could replace Ikuto, no matter how much she wished they could. Now it was the end of senior year, and she still hadn't seen a trace of Ikuto anywhere. She ached for him, his presence, his smile, his voice, even his smirk. She sighed, refusing to dwell on the past any more, and went inside.

She changed into her lacy nightgown and crawled into bed. Her charas floated over to her with worried expressions.

"Amu-chan, what's wrong?" Ran said. "You should be excited! You graduate tomorrow!" She shook her pom-poms and did a cheer, "Go, Amu-chan! Go Amu-chan!"

Amu smiled at her little pink chara. "I'm ok Ran, just a little nostalgic tonight."

Miki smiled knowingly. "You're missing Ikuto, right?"

Amu blushed. "Of course not! I got over that guy years ago!" Both Amu and her charas knew she was lying and Miki made sure to point it out.

"Sure, that's why you were muttering his name out on the deck," Miki said pointedly.

"Shut-up!"

"Aww, it's ok, Amu-chan," Su said. "It's ok to miss him."

"Yeah!" Ran said happily. "I bet he'll come back soon."

"Ran, I've been telling myself that for six years, and it hasn't happened," said Amu sadly.

"Well, you never know," Ran replied with a wink.

Amu grew suspicious of her charas. "Do you know something I don't?" she asked.

Her charas giggled as they floated off to their eggs, snuggling in for the night.

"Good night, Amu-chan," said Su with a smile, her green dress and apron poofing up as she settled in her egg.

"Hey wait!" said Amu as she ran up to their eggs. "What aren't you telling me?"

"It's nothing," replied Miki, her egg starting to close. "Just a feeling I have." Her chara's eggs clicked shut, effectively cutting off any conversation that might have happened.

"Good night, guys," said Amu dejectedly. She hated it when her charas were so cryptic. Sometimes, they were spot on about these "feelings" but other times they weren't exactly accurate. She decided to ignore it for now. She needed her rest for graduation tomorrow.

_Graduation. _Her high school career would come to an end tomorrow and pretty soon she would have to say good bye to her long time friends. Worst of all, she would end up moving away to go to college since there was no college in her town. Ikuto might never find her. He had told her once that he would come back to her no matter what, but she didn't see how that was possible with her moving away. She rolled over and turned off her bedside lamp, snuggled in, and tried to sleep. Just as she was drifting off, she thought of Ikuto and his smile again, and a tear slid down her cheek, carrying with it all her sadness and pain.

The wind rippled through the trees, causing the branch he was crouched on to move precariously. He wasn't worried about falling though, he never was. Amu was on her balcony, thinking about something. She hadn't changed much since he last saw her six years ago. Her hair was a little longer but still the same shade of bubble gum pink. She had grown taller, gaining about four inches or so. Her bust had grown too. He guessed her at a size C or there abouts. Amu had grown into a beautiful young woman. But, she had always been beautiful. Even has an elementary school kid, her beauty and unbreakable spirit had caught his eye. She cared for everyone, even if she didn't show it all the time.

He looked around for her charas. _Ah, there they are._ They were floating just off her right shoulder. They looked worried, especially the blue one, Miki, if he remembered correctly. A particularly strong gust of wind shook the tree and his foot slipped slightly, making a scuffing noise. He glanced up, a little worried that Amu might have discovered him spying on her in a tree, but she was still lost in thought. However, her charas did hear him and they glanced his way. They all squinted, trying to see who was there and seeing nothing, sent Miki to investigate. She drew closer and he thought about jumping away but he stayed. Miki was about two feet away when she recognized him.

"Ikuto?" Miki asked quizzically. Ikuto held a finger up to his lips. "Oh," she said and she floated up to his ear. "What are you doing here?" she whispered. "Aren't you supposed to be away, looking for your father?"

"I was, but I still haven't found him," Ikuto replied.

"So, why come back?" Miki asked with a knowing smile.

Ikuto looked at Amu again and a small smile broke across his face. "I warned her I would come back for her. I'm here to keep my promise."

Miki smiled and could hardly keep from shouting for joy. "Amu-chan will be so happy to see you!"

Ikuto looked at Miki in surprise. He figured that after six years of being away, he would have to fight to get Amu back, especially from Tadase. "Amu-chan graduates tomorrow," she continued. "You should come. It would mean a lot to her."

A beautiful idea began to form in Ikuto's mind. He smiled widely and whispered it to Miki. Her face grew into an excited smile and as soon as he was done whispering his plan, she nodded excitedly and flew off. Ikuto smiled as she told the other charas. The charas grew more and more excited as she told the story and when she was done, they all flew over to him and give him a tiny hug.

"What a great plan, Ikuto-kun," Ran said excitedly.

"We're behind you one-hundred percent, desu!" said Su.

"Good," Ikuto said. "I'm counting on you." With a wink and his trademark smirk, he jumped away. Just before he was out of ear shot, he heard Amu's soft voice mutter his name softly. He smiled even wider.

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**So there we go! If you liked, please review! If you didn't, review anyway because I need advise to make it better! Please and thank you!**


	2. Deja Vu

**Hello again and here is chapter two. Thanks for all the reviews! One of the clever reviewists pointed out that I forgot Dia! How could I do that? So I fixed it :D Remember all stuff in itallics is either dream or Amu's thoughts! Thanks for reading and please review! *I don't not own Shugo Chara.***

***This is a revised version of the original***

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"_I told you I would come back." His hands caressed her face, his fingers as light as a feather's touch. She sighed, closing her eyes._

_ "Amu-chan," said a far away voice._

_ "Not now, Ran," she thought. Amu felt his sweet breath on her cheek and knew his lips weren't far behind._

_ "Amu-chan, you need to wake up, desu." Wake up? She was awake, and in heaven. She smiled and soon Amu felt the soft brush of his lips on her cheek…_

"AMU!"

"Whaaa!" Amu sat straight up in bed, brain alert for any sign of danger. "What? What's going on?" She looked to her right and saw her three charas collapsed in hopeless laughter on the floor. "What's so funny?" she demanded. Only, since she had just woken up, it came out more as "Whasso funne?" Her charas looked at her for a second in silence and then burst out into fresh peals of laughter. Amu watched them for a minute and then realized she wouldn't be able to talk to them until the giggling fit subsided. She sighed and climbed out of bed, the specifics of her dream coming back to her.

_Ikuto…_

She'd had that dream before, six years ago, the night after Ikuto left. It made her ache for Ikuto then too. It was strange having that dream now, when it really didn't matter anymore. He was gone, and there was nothing she could do about that.

She glanced at her desk and saw that her mom had laid out her graduation dress. It was a simple all white sundress with a halter top and a flowy skirt that spun upward when she twirled around. A midnight blue sash tied around her waist and there was a choker to match. The choker was made of midnight blue ribbon and had a small black egg pendant dangling from it. It was a simple choker that her friend, Lulu de Morcerf, had made for her. She and her evil necklaces of doom used to cause some major havoc during the battle with Easter. Now, she was living in France with her parents, turning her jewelry-making hobby into a rather successful side-business. In any case, a few weeks after Ikuto had left, there was a small package in the mail addressed to Amu from France. Curious, she opened it up and there was the choker, nestled in a bed of lace. There was also a note from Lulu at the bottom of the box. It read:

Dear Amu,

I heard what happened with Ikuto. I made this for you so that maybe you might feel a little better. Keep in touch!

~Lulu de Morcerf

She was surprised at first. Usually Lulu wasn't one for expressing any type of affection but Amu was so touched by the gift that she didn't question it. Amu had written Lulu back immediately, of course, and they had kept in touch ever since.

"Amu-chan, what are you thinking about?" Miki asked, startling Amu out of her reverie. It looked like her charas had finally controlled their giggling.

"Oh, nothing," Amu replied. She smiled at her charas. "I just zoned out for a bit."

"Well hurry up and get dressed, Amu-chan," Ran said excitedly.

"Why? We don't' have to be at the school for another two hours yet."

"We want to go to the park, desu," said Su cheerily.

"Yeah!" Miki agreed. "I've wanted to sketch the new garden they put in."

"And I want to go play in the fountain," said Ran.

Amu looked perplexedly at her charas. "What about you, Su?" Amu asked curiously.

"It's such a lovely day outside," Su said sweetly. "I think a nice walk in the park will do us all some good."

Amu considered and then looked up at the hopeful faces of her charas. "Well, I guess I've been out voted," said Amu. She smiled as her charas cheered and busied themselves with getting ready. Going to the park wasn't such a bad idea anyway. _Maybe, it'll cheer me up! _Amu thought to herself.

Amu hurried and got into her dress, her charas helping her by zipping up the dress and tying the sash around her waist. Miki worked wonders on her hair, styling it into an elegant but simple up-do. Amu tied the choker around her neck and turned to look in the mirror. She looked a little different from her usual "cool and spicy" style: more innocent and less punk. Amu liked it though. There was just enough of her own style in the outfit to satisfy her but it was different enough for it to be worthy of graduation. Leave it to Miki to design the perfect dress.

Turning from her reflection, she grabbed her purse and headed out of her bedroom, hurrying down the stairs. She was almost all the way down when she heard a little voice behind her. "Amu-chan! Wait for me! Where are we going?"

Amu turned to see Dia flying down the stairs. Dia stopped in front of Amu's face to catch her breath. "Sorry I didn't come back to the room last night. Ami kidnapped me and then I fell asleep on her nightstand."

"Oh, it's ok, Dia," Amu replied. Amu felt a little guilty that she hadn't come and rescued Dia from the wrath of Ami. Truthfully, she had forgotten that Ami had even taken Dia last night.

"We're going to the park!" Ran told Dia.

"Oh really?" Dia replied. "I love the park! Let's go!"

Dia flew off and joined the other three charas who were floating ahead of Amu. They looked back at her, making sure she was ready to go. Amu smiled at them. "Well, let's get going everyone." The four charas cheered and raced out the door with Amu not too far behind. As they ran to the park, Ran, Miki, and Su seemed to be telling Dia something but Amu was too far away to hear.

Ten minutes later, the group reached the park. They walked toward the center of the park, where the fountain that Ran wanted to play in was located. Amu looked around and saw little children and their parents playing on the various playgrounds and swing sets. She closed her eyes and breathed in the spring air. Su was right; it was such a gorgeous day outside. The sun was out and the temperature was warm. Even though she was still thinking about Ikuto, she couldn't stay depressed with such nice weather. She smiled and felt happy and free for the first time in ages.

"Amu-chan," Miki said, interrupting Amu's thoughts, "I'm going to go sketch that new garden they built on the South side of the park."

"Ok, Miki," Amu replied. "Have fun."

"I will," said Miki, smiling. She started to fly off but then she turned around. "Try not to get lost, Amu-chan," she said with a sheepish smile. Amu glared at Miki.

"I'm perfectly capable of finding my way to the middle of the park," said Amu, offended. How dare Miki imply that she still couldn't find her way around.

"Sure, Amu-chan," Miki said knowingly. She turned and flew off, her pencil and sketch pad already in her hands.

Amu watched Miki fly off and then turned to the three charas that were left. Ran was bouncing up and down, barely holding in her excitement. "Come on, Amu-chan," she said. "I want to go play in the big fountain." Amu smiled at Ran's enthusiasm as they headed down the path, with Ran cheering up a storm and Dia and Su watching her with amusement. After several wrong turns and some back-tracking, they finally made it to the center of the park. A fountain rose up in the center of a cobblestone courtyard with several potted plants sitting around it. There was a bench on one side which Amu started to walk toward. Ran had already flown ahead as soon as the fountain had come into view and was splashing around happily in the water.

"Amu-chan, can we get some ice cream, desu?" Amu stopped and turned around to look at Su.

"I don't really have a lot of money left, Su," Amu said gently. "I really don't want to spend the rest of it on ice cream."

"Please, Amu-chan?" Su asked pleadingly. "You get more allowance next week anyway, desu."

Amu realized that she wasn't going to win this one. Su was pouting and tears were starting to well up in her eyes. _Sigh._

"Ok, ok," Amu said. Su's tears immediately dried up and a smile broke across her face. Amu shook her head and smiled, then walked over to the ice cream vendor on the far edge of the courtyard. She ordered one chocolate cone, paid the man, and brought the ice cream back to the bench where she had planned on sitting before.

"Thank you Amu-chan!" Su exclaimed as she flew over to the ice cream cone. Dia and Su started licking away at the chocolate ice cream happily. Not surprisingly, they had only eaten a little bit when they proclaimed that their stomachs were full. Amu sighed but let out a little chuckle.

"I'll finish for you guys."

"Thank you, Amu-chan," Su said. "I knew I wasn't going to be able to eat all that, even with Dia's help, but it looked so yummy, desu." Amu smiled at her chara and started licking away at the ice cream.

A feeling of déjà-vu slowly started to creep over her. The feeling grew and grew as she ate her ice cream and finally, she looked around a little bit. Suddenly, it hit her. This was the same bench that she had sat on with Tadase that day they had gone supplies shopping. She also remembered how Ikuto had teased her as she sat on that bench with an ice cream cone in each of her hands. Amu looked at the chocolate ice cream cone she was currently holding. _"I also like chocolate."_ That's what he had said.

_This is getting a bit too freaky, _Amu thought. She suddenly realized that something wet and cold was dripping onto her hand. She looked down and saw that the ice cream had started melting while she had been thinking. She leaned down to lick where the ice cream was dripping but just as she was about to lick it, she saw midnight blue hair in her peripheral vision. A foreign tongue reached down towards her ice cream.

She jumped back with a yelp, dropping her ice cream in the fountain. She looked up to see a handsome young man with midnight blue hair and mischievous sapphire eyes looking at her with that tell tale smirk on his face. Her eyes widened in surprise and her heart kicked into overdrive as she realized who was standing in front of her.

"Ikuto…?" Amu whispered.

Ikuto smiled and said, "I told you I would come back."

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**Well that was fun! I'm really enjoying writing this so hopefull I'll have another chapter up by next week. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. A Normal Day at the ParkMaybe

**Hello again! Long time no see, right? Sorry about that. School was being a butt and there was so much homework but I finally got this chapter done! This one was hard to write but probably the most fun so far. Hope you enjoy!**

***DISCLAIMER: I do not own Shugo Chara (although I wish I could say I do).**

***This is a revised version of the original***

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"_I told you I would come back."_

Amu stood there, eyes wide, staring at the man who had haunted her dreams for six years. His midnight blue hair gleamed in the sun and his sapphire eyes stared at her intently. He had grown an inch or two taller in the past six years. Dark wash jeans hugged his legs and a black, long sleeve shirt set off his pale skin, making his hair seem darker. A familiar white violin case was slung over his shoulder.

Amu stared at him, trying to say something but no words came. Her mouth just opened and closed uselessly, giving her the appearance of a fish with no water. Ikuto smirked. "What, Amu?" he said teasingly. "Cat got your tongue?"

His velvet voice hit her like a shock wave, and all the feelings she had been trying to repress for six years rushed to the surface. She had assumed that her mind was just dreaming again, but not even her dreams could make his voice more real than it was now. She probably would have stayed speechless for awhile longer but his teasing tone struck a particular cord inside her and she was finally able to speak. "N-n-no, you j-just surprised me is all." Blushing furiously, she crossed her arms and looked away. Ikuto smile grew wider at her stutter.

Amu tried to regain her composure but before she knew what was happening, Ikuto quickly crossed the distance between them and enveloped her in his embrace. She squeaked as Ikuto hugged her closer, burying his head in her hair and taking a deep breath. "Oh, Amu," he said, his voice vibrating through is body, "I've missed you." His deep voice sent shudders down her spine. There was no doubt; this wasn't a dream.

Trying to regain some illusion of dignity, she pushed against his chest. "Get off of me, you giant, perverted cat!" she said, trying to sound offended but failing miserably. She pushed at him again but Ikuto was too strong for her; his arms like iron.

"Aww, don't be like that," he purred as he hugged her closer. "I haven't seen you in ages."

"And whose fault is that?" Amu retorted. Ikuto pulled back and held her at arms' length, his hands closing around her arms. As his eyes searched her face, his expression softened.

"I'm sorry about that," he said, remorse in his eyes. "My journey is taking longer than I thought it would." Amu uncrossed her arms in surprise, her eyes widening.

"You still haven't found him?" Amu asked curiously.

"No, but I'm closer than I was six years ago," Ikuto replied with a secret smile.

"How so?" Amu asked curiously.

Ikuto tapped her nose playfully. "It's a secret."

"You can't just leave it hanging like that," Amu said, frustrated. "You have to tell me something."

Ikuto smiled and winked. "You'll find out soon enough, dear Amu."

"Ugh, you're so frustrating. You haven't changed a bit!" Amu exclaimed as she crossed her arms again and looked away.

Ikuto laughed at that and turned her head so he could stare deeply into her eyes. "Neither have you, Amu," he said softly. His breath blossomed across her face, causing Amu to inhale deeply. He smelled the same as always. Ikuto held her there for a heart-pounding moment or two and then released her. Taking a step back, he looked her up and down a few times, his eyes stopping to rest on her chest. "Well, maybe a little…"

It took Amu a minute to grasp the meaning of his words but it wasn't long before her cheeks turned bright red. "PERVERT!" she yelled. Amu tried to slap at him but he dodged easily, chuckling at her futile attempts.

"You're still as feisty as ever," he commented as he dodged yet another blow.

"Amu-chan!" Amu heard her voice being called from across the courtyard. She turned around and saw Ran approaching her at top speed with her other three charas not too far behind. Soon enough, Ran was by Amu's side, her eyes wide. "You have half an hour to get to school before the ceremony starts! We need to get moving!" Almost as an afterthought, Ran turned around, and smiled at Ikuto. "Hi, Ikuto-kun, nice to see you again. I hope things are going well," Ran said with a wink.

"Better than ever," Ikuto replied.

Meanwhile, Amu was mentally calculating how long it would take her to get to school from the park. Her chances of being on time weren't looking very good.

Amu glanced at Ikuto who was looking at her with a funny smile. "We'll finish this discussion later," Amu said frostily.

"I look forward to it," Ikuto replied mysteriously. His cat ears and tail popped out and with a wink and a smile, he was soon bounding away. Though Amu would deny it later, she felt a pang as she watched him leap away. She had been secretly ecstatic that Ikuto was back, but now that he was, what was she going to do about it? She raised her hand to her cheek, the memory of his last kiss becoming more and more vivid in her mind.

"Ran, chara change," Amu said, trying to distract herself from thinking about it. She had kept her feelings locked up for so long, that she had never looked them in the face before; had never measured their true might. But as soon as she had seen Ikuto, all the feelings that had been locked up so tight were instantly released, and she had struggled to keep them under control. Now, Amu was almost overwhelmed by them.

"Right away!" Ran replied. "Hop, step, jump!" Wings appeared at Amu's wrists and ankles and she flew into the air, soaring toward her graduation, the next chapter in her life.

Ikuto watched from a tree branch as Amu soared off into the sky. Even though he had seen her just last night, her beauty still struck him, leaving him in awe. The white dress she wore hugged her body in all the right places, making Amu look like an angel in Ikuto's eyes. He smiled as he replayed his encounter with Amu in his head. She really hadn't changed at all. Amu was just as feisty and just as stubborn as he remembered, but that's what Ikuto loved about her. She had never been easy to get and he was glad that hadn't changed. He liked a challenge after all. But, he had never cared so much about winning a challenge before. It had felt so _right_ for Amu to be back in the protective circle of his arms. He knew that that's where he wanted her, forever.

However, he had his work cut out for him. Amu had thrown up her "cool and spicy" character when she saw him but he had seen it in her eyes; she was happy to see him. Now, he just needed her to acknowledge that fact. He also didn't know what the situation with Kiddy King was. He fervently hoped that Tadase hadn't captured _his_ Amu's heart. Amu was his, and he would get what belonged to him.

Ikuto's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar cat chara. "So, stage one complete, nya!" Yoru cheered, coming out from behind a branch.

"Where have you been?" Ikuto asked knowingly. "You seemed to have disappeared as soon as we got to the park."

"Nowhere special, nya," Yoru replied, looking at the ground, his paws clasped behind his back. Ikuto chuckled. They had caught a glimpse of Miki sketching a garden in the park on their way in and Yoru was mysteriously gone from his side a few minutes later.

"Time for phase two," Ikuto muttered. A wicked smile spread across his face as he and Yoru began jumping from the branch to branch, gradually making their way toward Amu's graduation ceremony.

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**Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review because then I know people actually like it and then I'll keep writing ;)**


	4. My Hero

**Wow guys, sorry for such a late update. It's been so hectic with school and graduation stuff that I just haven't had the time to write. Well, here it is, chapter 4. I hope you enjoy!**

***This is a revised version of the original***

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Amu burst through the double doors and into the auditorium. She paused there, panting, taking a moment to catch her breath. She undid her character change with Ran as the rest of her charas floated up behind her. After a few more seconds, she straightened up and scanned the room quickly. Almost everyone was there already with only a few people left to arrive. Amu jogged down the aisle toward her assigned seat at the front of the auditorium. With a sigh, she plopped down into her seat between Tadase and Rima with the rest of the guardians. The five senior guardians took up the front row of the auditorium, making it easy for them to get up to the stage and give out the diplomas.

"You're late, Amu," said Rima observed coolly. The waterfall commonly known as her hair was piled expertly on top of her head in beautiful ringlets. "What kept you?"

"I lost track of time," Amu replied, still a bit flustered. "Ran and Miki wanted to go to the park so we stopped there before coming here."

Rima noticed Amu's flustered tone immediately. "I didn't know there was all that much to do in the park," said Rima, looking at Amu suspiciously.

Amu giggled nervously. "You know Ran; she was having so much fun that she didn't want to leave." Amu winced at the high pitch of her own voice as she presented her flimsy excuse to Rima. She tried her best to prevent a blush from coloring her already rosy cheeks but wasn't having much progress. They were starting to turn a distinct shade of red that could only be described as tomato red. Rima raised her eyebrows.

"Later," Rima said, her eyebrows raised.

"Sure," Amu replied.

Taking a few deep, calming breaths, Amu attempted to calm the whirlwind of confusion that used to be her brain. Her thoughts stumbled rapidly from one emotion to the other, trying to make sense of what had just happened. There was only one clear thought in her head, one that repeated in her brain like a mantra, summing up all her other thoughts into one nice, neat, sentence. _Ikuto's back._

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and turned to see Tadase smiling at her, holding out a white, folded object.

"Here's your cape, Amu-chan. You left it at the garden yesterday."

"Oh," Amu replied, taking the folded cape from his out stretched hand. "Thank you, Tadase-kun. I was in a hurry to get home last night."

"I figured," Tadase said. "You looked like you had a lot on your mind yesterday. You want to talk about it?"

Tadase's eyes showed the sincerity of his concern, and Amu realized that he really was worried about her. And who wouldn't be? She had been pretty depressed yesterday, constantly sighing and staring off into space, and then today she runs into graduation, cheeks flushed and eyes alight with a secret. She wanted to tell someone what had happened so badly, but she restrained herself, since even she didn't know what to think about it yet.

"I'm fine," Amu replied with a winning smile. "I was just thinking about graduation and having to say goodbye to everyone." Not a lie, but not exactly the whole truth either. It _had_ been bothering her and was part of the reason for her depressed mood yesterday; it just wasn't the whole reason.

"The guardians still have the summer to spend together," Tadase said. "It's not totally goodbye yet." Tadase playfully ruffled her hair making Amu giggle. "Don't get so depressed just yet!"

"You're right," Amu said, still giggling.

"I usually am," Tadase said turning to face forward in his chair. Amu punched him in the shoulder for the pompous remark, causing Tadase to smile even wider. Tadase had become more of a brother over the years. After they both had gotten over their crushes on each other, they had become like siblings, giving each other advice and being involved in each other's lives. Amu usually told him everything, and it was weird for her to keep something from him, but she just wasn't ready to let this cat out of the bag yet.

Amu carefully unfolded the white cape and put it on. Everyone in the graduating class graduated in these white capes. The guardians' capes were a little different, however. While non-guardians had plain white capes with white trimming, the guardians' capes were white with colored trimming. Amu's cape was trimmed with sapphire blue and Tadase's was trimmed with ruby red. Rima's cape was trimmed with light green and Nagihiko's with purple. Lastly, Yaya's cape was trimmed with yellow.

Yaya wasn't originally supposed to graduate with them. She had been a year behind them but during her sophomore year, she realized that her friends would soon be leaving her. Determined to graduate with her friends, she actually started studying and going to cram school every day. After a few months, she tested out of junior year and started senior year with the rest of them. She even kept up her studying habits and was graduating at the top of their class.

The principal walked onto the stage and started to address the assembly. It was the same generic speech that he said every year. He talked about how this was the start of the rest of their lives and about the endless possibilities that awaited them. Amu was soon bored out of her mind and so, of course, her mind looked for amusement elsewhere. Her four charas were floating by her shoulders, their eyes drooping as they too fought off the urge to sleep. Amu glanced around and saw her parents sitting not far behind her, tears running down their faces. Amu smiled at them and they waved back at her, Ami waving the most enthusiastically.

She started to turn back around but at the last second she caught a flash of midnight blue hair. Sure enough, there was Ikuto, casually leaning against the back wall. He caught Amu's eye and then winked at her, a playful smile spreading across his face. Amu saw Yoru floating next to Ikuto's ear, whispering a question to him. Ikuto nodded at whatever the question was and Yoru flew over to Amu's side. Miki saw Yoru's approach and blushed, dashing behind Amu's hair to hide.

"Yo, Amu," Yoru said.

"What are you guys doing here?" Amu whispered furiously.

"You thought we would miss your graduation, nya?" Yoru asked incredulously. "Ikuto's been looking forward to this for months, nya. He wouldn't miss this for the world."

Amu's eyes widened slightly. "Really?" she asked.

"Of course, nya," Yoru replied. "I don't think he would have taken a break from his search for anything else, nya."

Amu blinked, to stunned to say much of anything.

"And now Hinamori Amu, as speaker for her class, will say a few words."

Amu's head snapped around and her mouth gaped open. The principal was smiling down at her, waiting for her to ascend the steps to the stage and give the speech that she had completely forgotten about until just now. What was she going to do?

"Go on, Amu," Rima whispered, pushing her out of her seat, causing Amu to stumble. It was a miracle she hadn't fallen flat on her face. Amu blushed furiously as she heard some people in the audience laugh. Most notably was the distinctly masculine chuckle that no doubt came from Ikuto's lips. After straightening up, she carefully ascended the stairs and stepped toward the podium. She looked out and saw her classmates dressed in white with their white capes. All of them, staring at her expectantly, waited for her words of wisdom.

Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia, floating by her head, were whispering words of encouragement as she scrambled for words. Yoru had disappeared. She looked desperately out at the crowd, her eyes finally coming to rest on Ikuto. His smirk was gone, replaced by a gentle, encouraging smile. His sapphire eyes had softened, and in them was all the confidence in the world.

Amu took a deep breath, and spoke from her heart. "We've all come from different walks of life. We have all overcome different challenges to get here today. Well, here we are, ready to graduate, ready to move on to the next chapter in our lives."

Amu spoke about all their previous challenges and all the challenges they have yet to face. She reminded them that there was nothing that they couldn't do, that the sky was the limit. Just as she was about to finish up her impromptu speech, she heard a familiar sound.

"Murdi, murdi, murdi." Amu stopped mid-sentence and looked up to see an x-egg floating in the middle of the room. The four remaining guardians in the front row spun around at the sound, looking at it in horror. With so many people around, what could they do? No one else could see the x-egg but if they didn't do something about it soon, it would soon wreak havoc on everyone in the room. Suddenly, the piercing sound of the fire alarm filled the room and all the students jumped up to run to the nearest exit. In the midst of the confusion, Amu slipped down from the stage and joined the other guardians.

Amu's speech was going great until the x-egg crashed the party. He saw the look of horror on her face as she realized that she couldn't do anything about the egg without revealing herself to the entire community. Ikuto glanced around, looking for a distraction, and found one. The fire alarm was right next to the double doors. He pulled the handle and a piercing alarm filled the air. Everyone started rushing towards the exits, giving Amu and her friends the distraction they needed.

"Murdi, murdi, murdi." The x-egg was now bouncing around in the air, hitting anything and everything; from chairs to scrambling graduates.

"We'd better take care of that, nya," Yoru said to Ikuto. Ikuto nodded his agreement and five seconds later, he was decked out in his character transformation. He grinned as he looked over to see that the guardians had transformed also. Amu had transformed with Ran, no surprise there, but the outfit was slightly different. Her outfit, though still basically the same had changed to be a bit more mature, just as Amu had matured. Instead of a visor on her head, her hair was pulled back into two pigtails by a pink ribbon. Her cheerleader outfit was now a bit more form fitting, though still pink. It showed Amu's figure with a definite advantage and Ikuto couldn't help but admire the view.

The guardians leaped into action. Rima contained it with her ropes while Nagihiko kept it distracted. Yaya, well, wasn't really doing much at the moment. She stood there, cheering on her friends. Amu and Tadase were creeping around to get behind the egg in an attempted surprise attack. It was a pretty standard battle plan really, but unfortunately, this egg was not a standard x-egg. It nimbly averted all their traps and surprises so that when Amu launched herself into the air to purify it, it turned around a sent a whirling maelstrom of darkness at her, knocking her away. Amu went flying through the air and without a moment's hesitation, Ikuto launched himself in her direction and caught her.

They hit the ground, with Ikuto taking most of the impact so as not to injure Amu. He held her close as he steadied himself and then looked into her wide, golden eyes.

She was in his arms, staring at his luminous, sapphire eyes. He had saved her from a potentially horrible fall and was now holding her protectively in his arms. _Hmm, this seems familiar._

"You're still heavier than you look," Ikuto said with a smile as he gazed down at her. His velvet voice brought her back to reality and she scrambled out of his arms. She turned to look at him, still a little in awe of what had just happened.

"W-well, no one asked you to save me," she retorted somewhat firmly. The stutter at the beginning of her sentence kind of ruined the effect though.

"No one had to," Ikuto replied, straightening up from his crouched position. He held his hand out to help her up. "You're still my princess, Amu," Ikuto said, "so of course I saved you."

She ignored his outstretched hand and stood up hurriedly, attempting to hide the blush that was spreading across her face. She heard Ikuto chuckle and instantly knew that her attempt at hiding had failed.

"Who said I was still your princess?" Amu asked, her tone challenging.

"I really don't think this is the time to be having a lover's quarrel," Ikuto said with a meaningful glance toward the x-egg.

"L-l-lover's?" Amu sputtered. "You, you stupid, perverted cat!" she yelled. Just as she was about to tell him just what she thought of him, she heard Tadase call her name.

"Amu? We kind of need your help over here." Rima had finally gotten the egg under control and was just barely holding onto it with her rope. Amu glanced at Ikuto then back at the situation at hand.

"This isn't over," Amu told Ikuto with a determined gleam in her eye. "Don't think you're out of trouble yet."

"I wouldn't dream of it, _Amu_," Ikuto said with a smirk.

Amu leaped back into the air and positioned herself to aim at the x-egg. "OPEN HEART!" she yelled and pink hearts erupted from her outstretched hands, purifying the egg in an instant. Soon enough, the now white egg floated out the door to find its owner, cooing happily on its way out.

"Well that was certainly unexpected," Tadase commented as he walked over to Amu.

"Yeah," Amu replied looking at the door the egg had exited out of.

Rima went up to Amu and put her finger on Amu's chest. "Was there something you wanted to tell us?" she asked with a meaningful glance behind Amu.

Amu gasped and whirled around, and saw that Ikuto was still there, staring at her with that cocky smile. Tadase also turned and saw Ikuto, a look of shock spreading across his face. Finally Nagihiko saw Ikuto too, but didn't seem as surprised as the rest of them.

"I can explain!" Amu said desperately as her friends turned to look at her with a questioning face.

"This one ought to be good," Rima commented as she watched Amu flounder for words as Ikuto's smile grew wider and wider.

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**Well, I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. There is definitely more to come, I just need to decide where this story needs to go next. I hope to have a new chapter within 2 weeks or so.**

**Oh and of course, don't forget to review! I need your input so I can make this fanfic better and find the will power to keep writing it. So...REVIEW**


	5. Not So Secret Afterall

**Hello again! I promise that I'm still alive and I am soooooo sorry for the really late update. With graduation, graduation parties and summer trips, I just didn't have time to write. Well, anyway, here is the next chapter of Graduation. Enjoy!**

**I do not own Shugo Chara in anyway ;)**

***This is a revised version of the original***

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"Well….," Rima said, impatiently waiting for Amu's explanation.

Amu glanced frantically at Ikuto and then back at her friends, her eyes wide with panic as she tried to think of what to tell them. She had never told them about that night when he had promised to come back, so this was an utter surprise to the group. "Um…well…uh…," she was at a loss for words. Ikuto smirked, came up behind her, and snaked his arms smoothly around her waist. Amu stiffened as he pulled her closer to him.

"I'm just keeping a promise," he said simply as he lowered his head to rest on Amu's pink hair.

All of her friends raised their eyebrows simultaneously, Rima's going especially high.

"Promise?" Rima asked curiously. "What promise?"

"T-there's no promise!" Amu said frantically as she tried to pull away from Ikuto. No such luck there. "L-let go of me you…you…perverted cat!"

"Aww, Amu, don't be so harsh. You remember, don't you?" Ikuto leaned down to whisper in her ear, not caring if the other guardians saw or not. "That night, after the fight…," Ikuto whispered softly into her ear as he gently touched her cheek with his finger tips, exactly where he had kissed her all those years ago.

Amu jumped out of his grasp, putting her hands on either side of her face and squealing as she did so. Ikuto just chuckled in amusement and took a few steps back. "Well, guardians," he said. "It's been wonderful seeing you again, but I'm afraid I must get going." The guardians just stared at him, still in shock of the fact that the blue haired man just appeared in front of them out of nowhere after being gone for six years. Ikuto smirked at their expressions. "See ya," he said lazily as he jumped away, giving a special wink to Amu before he disappeared.

Adults started pouring back into the auditorium, seeing that the danger was passed. The guardians quickly undid their character transformations so as not to draw attention to themselves. After a few moments of silence, Rima turned to Amu. "So what was this promise he was talking about?"

Amu looked at her friend and saw the storm beneath her calm façade. Underneath her seemingly innocent expression was anger; anger at the fact that Amu might have kept something from her. "W-what promise?" Amu asked. She still desperately hoped that maybe she could pretend that no such promise existed. "H-he never made any promise to me…," Amu said quickly. Amu's charas giggled quietly to themselves at her attempts to hide the truth.

"No offense, Amu-chan," Tadase said with doubt in his voice, "but your stuttering says otherwise."

"I would have to agree with Tadase," Kiseki said.

"So what was this promise, Amu?" Rima asked again, this time barely containing her anger as she took a menacing step forward. A suspicious dark aura began to surround her as she impatiently waited for Amu's answer. Kusukusu just giggled at Rima's anger.

Amu gulped loudly at seeing Rima's aura and the rest of the groups' obvious curiosity. _Well, I can't keep it from them forever, they'll find out one way or another_ Amu thought with resignation.

"Well, do you remember that night when we defeated Easter and Ikuto…k-kissed me before he left?"

"Of course," Nagihiko said. "After that he just leaped away and we haven't seen him at all since then…until now of course."

"W-well, just before that he whispered in my ear…," Amu said, her voice trailing off into silence as she remembered the soft touch of his fingers on her cheek and the deep vibrato of his voice as he made his promise. A deep blush colored her cheeks making the guardians even more curious as to what this promise entailed.

"Well, what did he say Amu-chi?" Yaya asked with barely contained excitement.

"Well," Amu said hesitantly, "he promised that he would come back for me, no matter what."

The guardians just stared at her, in silence. After a few more moments, Rima finally broke the silence, saying what they all had been thinking, "And you never bothered to tell us this before?"

"W-well…I don't know…it just never seemed to come up," Amu said defensively.

"You could have at least told me," said Rima, her eyes filling up with fake tears. "I'm your best friend. You're supposed to tell me everything!"

"Oh Rima!" Amu exclaimed. "Don't cry! I-I'm sorry."

Nagihiko started to chuckled. "Don't be too worried, Amu-chan," he said with a smile, "she's just pretending."

"I am not!" Rima said, turning to him and giving him a death glare. However, much to Nagihiko's satisfaction, Rima's tears dried up instantly. Nagihiko only chuckled in response.

"Well, this certainly makes things interesting," Tadase commented.

"Interesting?" Amu said. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, Amu," Rima said. "We're not total idiots."

"Yeah!" Yaya chimed in. "Even Yaya has noticed, Amu-chi!"

"Noticed what?" Amu asked nervously, turning around to face Yaya. _They couldn't have noticed, could they?_

Amu felt a hand on her shoulder as Tadase came up behind her. "Amu-chan," he said softly, "anyone can see how much you care about him."

"Me? Care for that perverted cat? W-what are you talking about?"

"Oh Amu just stop," Rima said, a small smile forming on her face. "We've all known, for a long time."

Realizing that there was no way she was going to weasel out of this one, she sighed. "When did you guys figure it out?" she asked.

"Well, it was a few days after Ikuto-niisan had left," Tadase said. "You were so sad and gloomy all the time, always staring off into space and sighing."

"It didn't really take much for us to put two and two together," Rima said. "Plus, you suddenly started drawing cats in your notebook…"

"I did not!" Amu said as she blushed. _I thought no one had noticed that…_

Rima giggled. "Of course you didn't, Amu," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

All of a sudden, they heard a deep voice calling them. "Guardians! Come here please!" They turned around and saw Tsukasa waving them over to where a big group of adults were standing. They hurried over to find out what he wanted.

"Ah, here you are. I just wanted to let you know that we have postponed the graduation until next week. The parents seem to have no problem with it." He motioned to the adults gathered around and all of them had the usual star struck look on their face that people usually got when dealing with Tsukasa. "Obviously, we cannot finish it today," he said and glanced at the wreckage. Chairs had been blown everywhere. The podium was overturned and all the diplomas had been scattered throughout the room.

"Ok, Tsukasa-san," Tadase replied with a smile. "We shall alert the graduates immediately." All the guardians groaned inwardly. Just as they were about to be free from all their tedious work, a disaster swept through and they were stuck with making phone calls, yet again.

The five guardians set to work, cleaning up the mess. Fortunately, with the five of them plus Tsukasa's help, the job only took an hour or so. After they were finished, Amu said goodbye to her friends and left for home. The walk home was pretty uneventful for Amu. Her charas just chattered aimlessly to each other about the ceremony, the fight, and Ikuto's surprise appearance. She sighed as she thought again of the blue haired neko. She wondered where he might have run off to, or where he might be now. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice a tall, lean shadow following her home.

Amu walked into her house, exhausted. She quickly told her parents the new date of her graduation and then wearily climbed the stairs to her room. Once inside, she flopped down onto her bed and groaned.

"Are you alright, Amu-chan?" asked Su with worry.

"Just tired, Su, that's all," Amu replied.

"She's right. So many things happened today!" said Ran with excitement.

"Yes," Dia said in agreement. "Even Miki's day was fun, wasn't it Miki?"

The small blue chara blushed delicately then flew off to her egg to grab her sketchbook. The other three charas just giggled, knowing full well what had happened with her at the park. Dia and Su flew off to their respective eggs, leaving just Ran in Amu's vicinity.

"Ikuto-kun has such good ideas," Ran muttered to herself. Unfortunately it was still loud enough for Amu to hear.

"What do you mean he has such good ideas?" Amu asked, raising her head to look Ran dead in the eye.

"What? Oh n-nothing…I just meant….that…that...um…that cornering you at the park w-was a clever way to m-make his…um…entrance…" Ran said nervously.

"Uh-huh," Amu said as something occurred to her. "And I wonder how he knew that I was going to be at the park?"

"I don't k-know," Ran said, twiddling her thumbs. "I guess he really just knows you that well."

"That or he cleverly got a hold of someone who would just happen to convince me to go to the park today," Amu said as a dangerously dark aura surrounded her.

"W-what was that Miki?" Ran said, as if Miki had called her name. "Ok, I'm coming. Well, gotta go Amu-chan. Wouldn't want to keep Miki waiting…uh...bye!" Ran sped off toward her egg, locking herself quickly inside. Amu just sighed as she realized what had happened. _Ikuto must have told my charas to get me to the park this morning. The sly cat…_

However, as much as she wanted to be mad at her charas, she couldn't help but smile. _Wow, I really can't believe he's back…but, what am I going to do?_

That certainly was a problem. Seeing Ikuto only confirmed her feelings. She knew that she loved him, so much so that it hurt…but it scared her. Being with Ikuto had always been a "what if" kind of problem. It was something she fantasized about but never imagined happening in reality. She always figured he would find someone better while he was traveling abroad. She even believed it after a few years. Now, he had come back just for her. He even put searching for his father on hold to come back and find her. It was a reality that she didn't know quite how to handle. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, so many feelings she wanted to express, but she had never been very good at that, with anyone.

"Why don't you just tell him," Miki said softly, coming up to float by Amu's head. Amu looked up from where her head had been buried in her pillow to look at Miki. The blue chara just smile encouragingly. "Just tell him how you feel. You can't keep it locked up inside forever, Amu-chan."

Once again, Amu was amazed at how in tune Miki could be with her thoughts. Without even saying anything, Miki knew what her problems were. "But there's so much to tell, Miki. My thoughts and feeling are in such a whirl. I don't know if it's that simple," Amu said with a small smile.

"You'd be surprised how simple things really are," Miki said knowingly.

"But, what if I screw it up?" Amu asked with a slight tremor in her voice. "What if I say the wrong thing?"

"I think Ikuto-kun will be able to understand what you're trying to say. He's always been able to read your thoughts like an open book," Miki said with a smile. "Don't worry about it too much, Amu-chan, I'm sure everything will work out."

"I hope you're right, Miki," Amu replied a small smile. Miki winked and then returned to her egg. Soon, it clicked closed for the night. Amu got under the covers and stared up at the ceiling, thinking.

_Hmm, maybe it really is that simple. Maybe, I should just tell him…hmm…_

She continued to think about it as she turned off her bed side lamp. However, as much as the situation bothered her, it wasn't soon before Amu was sound asleep, dreaming.

He was outside Amu's bedroom once again, on the same tree branch that he had been the night before. The wind was blowing gently, ruffling Ikuto's dark blue hair. Amu had just turned out her lamp, plunging her room into darkness. _Just the way I like it._

Ikuto diligently leaped from the tree and onto her balcony. As always, the sliding door was unlocked, and Ikuto silently eased it open and crept into her room. Walking over to her bed, he gazed down at Amu's face. His breath caught momentarily as he drank in every inch of her face. It was relaxed in sleep, giving her an innocent and childlike expression that she usually didn't have. Her soft, bubblegum hair was spread out everywhere on her pillow. _It makes her look so beautiful._

He kneeled down beside her bead and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, his fingers tracing soft patterns all over her face. Suddenly, Amu turned over in her sleep to face him and Ikuto quickly retracted his hand, afraid that she had woken up but it was a false alarm. Amu simply smiled and sighed, snuggling tighter into her covers as she continued to dream. Ikuto smiled. _Oh, Amu, what am I going to have to do to win your heart._

He figured it wouldn't be too hard. He just had to convince her that his love was real, not just a joke to tease her. To his surprise, Kiddy king seemed not to be an obstacle. _It was weird, usually when I tease Amu, Tadase gets very possessive and starts sputtering things about how he won't give Amu up to me…but…he didn't this time. He just stood there and watched as I took her in my arms._

"Ikuto-kun?" asked a soft voice behind him. He turned to see Miki and Yoru floating side by side, holding hands. Ikuto smile knowingly.

"Made your conquest already I see," Ikuto teased his little chara.

"S-shut up, nya," Yoru said while sheepishly looking at the ground. Miki giggled softly and blushed.

"Do you know what you're going to do next?" asked Miki quietly so as not to wake Amu.

"Oh, don't worry. I have something perfect in mind, but I'm going to need yours' and the rest of the charas' help," Ikuto said with a mischievous smile.

"Ooo, what is it, nya?" asked Yoru with barely contained excitement.

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**Thanks for reading! I'm trying to decide if I want to put more Miki x Yoru in...should I? Let me know your thoughts and of course, REVIEW! :D**


	6. A Busy Morning

**OMG guys I'm sooooooooooooooooooo sorry for not updating in MONTHS! Who knew that college could keep someone so busy? Between homework, practice, class, and work I've had absolutely no time. Anyway, here is chapter 6, finally! Warning: this is not the chapter I promised, that's next! I figured out that I needed to do a big set up chapter to make it happen so I promise to have more Amuto in next chapter! This chapter has a lot of Miki x Yoru in it. I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review! I can only make this story better if you point out weaknesses! ENJOY!**

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Chapter 6

Miki's blue egg closed with a soft "click" as she settled in for the rest of the night, cuddling up with the covers as she snuggled deeper into their folds. Closing her eyes, she sighed contentedly as she remembered what had just happened only a few moments before.

_Miki awoke suddenly when her little egg was flooded with light. A shadowy figure entered her egg and floated just above her, seeming to study her intently. She rubbed her eyes groggily to clear her vision and saw a tail attached to the shadow._

_ "Miki, nya? Are you awake, nya?"_

_ "Yoru?" Miki asked softly in wonderment. "What are you doing here?" Miki sat up in her egg and scooted over so Yoru could sit on the cushion next to her. He floated down slowly and sat to face her._

_ "Ikuto wanted to come check up on Amu, nya." A grin blossomed across his face. "He's been waiting forever for her to fall asleep, nya."_

_ Miki giggled. "Yeah, Amu-chan was pretty freaked about what happened today."_

_ "Yeah, I could imagine," Yoru said a little nervously. He kept glancing around, never really looking Miki in the eye. Miki thought it was the cutest thing she had ever seen in her life. Suddenly, Yoru looked at her, wringing his paws, and said, "So, h-how have you been, n-nya?"_

_ "F-fine," Miki replied, blushing. Miki had the biggest crush on Ikuto's little cat chara. She had drawn hundreds of sketches of him. In some, he was smiling foolishly as he wandered around, oblivious to the world, and others were of when he had a look of triumph on his face after he had done something particularly amazing. Her favorites were sketches of him and her, gazing into each others' eyes and holding hands. She had actually just finished a sketch like that right before she went to talk to Amu. To her horror, her sketchbook was still out and open, right in-between Yoru and herself._

_ Yoru noticed this at the same time and snatched the sketch book away before she could grab it and hide it away. "What's this, nya?" he asked with a smile, breaking the nervous silence._

_ Miki lurched forward to make a grab for it. "Give it back, Yoru!"_

_ He held it up high, just out of her reach. "What's the magic word, nya?" he asked tauntingly. Instead of answering, Miki just made another desperate lunge, straining her arms to reach it. Unfortunately, she put too much of her wait forward and ended up toppling over into Yoru's lap and knocking him over in the process._

_ "Owww, that hurt, nya," Miki heard Yoru groan. She looked up and caught her breath and she saw his luminous yellow eyes staring into her blue ones. Yoru also seemed to forget how hurt he was as he stared at her. His eyes softened as he stared into her eyes._

_ Miki felt a furious blush creep into her face as she scrambled up off of him. "I'm s-so sorry," she said frantically. Yoru stood up too then leaned down to grab her sketch book. She looked away from him as he studied the sketch of them, too embarrassed to see what he was thinking written on his face._

_ "Do you imagine this often, nya?" he asked quietly. She looked up to see him staring at the picture, a smile spreading across his face. She didn't know how to answer so she just kept silent. He eventually looked up and met her gaze. "Don't be shy, nya," he said, a blush spreading across his face too. "I-I do too, nya."_

_ Miki's breath caught and suddenly her entire being was filled with joy. A dopey smile spread across her face as she gazed at him with adoration. She leaned over and kissed him quickly and softly on the cheek, before her courage ran out. Yoru started with surprise and looked at her as she pulled away. She looked down, wringing her hands as her blush turned a shade or two deeper. Suddenly, she felt a paw take her hand. She looked up into Yoru's luminous eyes as he smiled and said, "Come on, I think Ikuto might need us, nya."_

Miki giggled softly to herself as she snuggled up in her blankets at the memory. Her hand still tingled from where Yoru had held her hand and she could still smell his warm and fuzzy scent on her clothes. Breathing deeply, she drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face and Yoru in her dreams.

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Amu woke up to the sun shining down on her face, alerting her to the start of a new day. She stretched lazily, still in her bed, as she heard the soft clicks of four eggs opening up. Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia floated over drowsily, stretching and rubbing sleep from their eyes. Amu giggled and sat up in bed to greet them. "You guys look even more tired than me," she said. All four charas just looked at her through half lidded eyes and then yawned at the same time, synchronized down to the last milli-second, causing Amu to collapse into a fit of giggling. The four charas looked at each other and then started giggling too.

"How about some tea?" asked Su, still giggling a bit. "It should help us all wake up, desu."

"Great idea, Su," said Amu, still giggling a little. As her guardian character floated down to the kitchen to help make tea, Amu climbed out of bed to get ready for the day. She chose a purple skirt that came down mid-thigh and was belted across the waist. With it, she wore a black shirt, tucked into the skirt, with black leggings, her black boots and a purple, blue, and green scarf tied around her neck to finish it off. She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and run a brush through her hair. After a few minutes of staring into the mirror, deciding what exactly to do with her hair, she decided to put it up in a ponytail and then clip it with a big purple clip to the back of her head so that a poof of hair came out of the top and the tail came out the bottom. Satisfied, she bounced down the stairs to the kitchen where she was met with the aroma of freshly brewed tea and baked biscuits.

"Wow Su," Amu said as she walked in, "you've really out done yourself. It smells delicious!"

"Thank you, Amu-chan," replied Su with a smile. Amu glanced at the table a saw a plate and cup set out for her and then mini cups and plates set to the side for her charas. Amu poured her tea and buttered a biscuit as Su served the other charas. Just as Amu took her first sip, Miki said,

"I wonder what Ikuto has planned for you today, Amu?" Amu choked and spit out her tea all over the table and then continued to cough. Her charas floated up to her with worried expressions.

"Are you ok?" asked Dia.

"You're not to supposed to inhale tea," said Ran.

"I know-" cough, cough, "that-" cough, cough. Amu took a deep breath and finally stopped choking. Her head was spinning as she remembered the fact that Ikuto had re-entered her life, turning every moment into an unexpected mess of emotions.

"How did you forget that Ikuto was here?" asked Miki curiously.

Amu looked up at her charas. "I don't think I forgot," said Amu cautiously, "I don't think my brain had progressed that far yet," she finished.

"Well, it's there now," said Miki with a grin. "What do you think today will bring?"

Amu put her head in her hands and groaned. The thought of another day filled with more Ikuto-crafted surprises was almost too much for her to bear. Her heart just wasn't used to all of the emotions that Ikuto brought out in her just by being in the same room as her.

"What's wrong, desu?" asked Su worriedly. "Aren't you happy that Ikuto is back? It's all you've thought about for years, Amu-chan."

"I know, I know," said Amu dejectedly. "I don't know what it is. I mean, I'm beyond ecstatic to see him and he's every bit the Ikuto I remember, but, I…"

"I think I know what's wrong," interrupted Dia. "First of all, he hasn't been here for so long, his presence and daily intrusions are throwing you off balance."

"That's true," agreed Amu.

"Secondly, you're scared."

"What?" said Amu incredulously. "How could I possibly be scared of that perverted cat?"

"You really need to come up with a better insulting nickname," commented Miki with a smile. "That one is losing its edge."

Amu shot her a death glare causing Miki to giggle. A sudden knock at the door interrupted their argument and Amu got up with a sigh to answer the door. She looked through the peep-hole to see who was there and swung open the door with a smile to find Nagihiko on the other side. "Good morning, Amu-chan," he greeted with a smile.

"Nagi!" Amu replied with a huge grin of her own. "What are you doing here?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the mall with me," Nagi asked. "I need to get a jacket and some other things and I didn't want to go alone. All the other guardians are busy."

"Sure!" Amu replied. "Come on in while I go grab my purse." Amu ushered him into the entry way and closed the door behind him. "I'll be right back."

Amu ran up to her room to grab her purse, making sure that her money and credit card were inside. With one glance in the mirror, she grabbed some lip gloss and ran back downstairs to the kitchen. Su and the others were still cleaning up from breakfast, washing plates and eating utensils while chattering about the past few days. "Hey girls," Amu said, "Nagi wants to go to the mall and do some shopping. Do you guys want to come?"

"Sure!" said Dia. "I feel like I haven't been to the mall in ages!"

"I'm in," said Ran. "It's better than cleaning up here."

Su smiled at Amu and said, "I'd really love to go but I should finish cleaning up here. I also have some other things I wanted to get done here today."

"Are you sure, Su?" Amu asked. "We can always clean up later when we get back."

"It's fine," Su replied with a smile. "Have fun shopping!"

"What about you, Miki?" asked Amu.

A blush blossomed across Miki's face as she answered. "I actually told Yoru the other day at the park that we could hang out today." Miki's blush grew deeper and she kicked her feet around shyly while staring at the ground.

Amu smiled at her little blue chara, happy that things were working out for her and Yoru. She hoped things would go as well for her and Ikuto. Why couldn't love be less complicated? "Have fun, Miki. I guess I'll see you guys when we get back. Have a great day girls!" Amu looked at Dia and Ran, smiled and motioned toward the door, "Let's go!"

With a cheer, her charas flew behind her as she raced back to the door where Nagi was waiting. She bounced in front of him with a wide smile. "Ready!"

Nagi chuckled, "I see that. Let's head out then." Amu opened the door and stepped into the bright sunlight, opening her arms wide, letting the sun warm her pale skin. She had a good feeling about today. Everything would work out for the best, she had confidence that it would.

* * *

"Are they gone, desu?" asked Su in a soft whisper as Amu shut the front door.

Miki peaked out the front window and then gave Su a thumbs up. "Yup!" she replied in a normal voice, "they just turned the corner."

"Good! Now I can start making the decorations for tonight, desu," said Su, ideas already swirling around in her head. She would need paper lanterns, streamers made of white flowers, white petals…_Ooo, this is going to be so exciting!_

"Ok," said Miki with excitement. "I'm going to start designing Amu-chan's outfit for tonight." She pulled out her sketch pad and started sketching away, determined to create the perfect outfit for Amu's surprise. She already had a color scheme in mind: midnight blue and black. She got the idea from the choker that Lulu had sent Amu all those years ago. She started designing the skirt and shirt and then glanced up to see Su willing white flowers into existence all over the kitchen, humming as she went along. Miki giggled, filled with excitement about tonight's surprise for Amu. She was happy that Nagihiko had agreed to take Amu shopping or Su and Miki could have never helped Ikuto with his plans.

Just then, they heard the door bell go off, announcing a visitor. They flew over to the door and between the two of them managed to turn the doorknob and get the front door open. Ikuto stood there, wearing black jeans, a white t-shirt, a navy blue jacket, and his signature mysterious smile. His hand was on his hip which was cocked to one side and his eyes danced with life. "Hello, Ikuto-kun," greeted Miki with a smile. "Amu-chan and Nagihiko just left for the mall. Nagi said that he would make sure to keep her entertained until late afternoon."

"Good," replied Ikuto, his grin widening. "I can't have her finding out what I'm up to, that wouldn't be any fun for me." Both Su and Miki giggled, they knew how much he loved to tease and surprise Amu. He was one of the only people they knew who could. He turned his attention to Su. "You ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes, desu!" Su replied. "Come in and grab the flowers and lanterns off the table and then we can head over to the park and start decorating, desu." Not even Ikuto was about to disobey orders from Su, so he quickly loaded up the supplies into his car. While Ikuto was running back and forth between the house and the car, Yoru snuck up behind Miki and poked her in the sides.

Miki jumped a good inch as she yelped, startled by the feeling of being tickled. Turning around with her arms wrapped around her stomach so as to avoid further attack, she found Yoru doubled over in laughter. "You should have-" laughter, "seen-" more laughter, "your face, nya!" he choked out between bursts of laughter. After about thirty seconds, he calmed down and went to wipe tears from his eyes. "It was priceless, nya!"

Miki was torn between glaring at him for startling her and hugging him because he was so cute when he laughed. She settled for just sticking her tongue out at him in reply and pretending to be mad. But then, Yoru came over and gave her an unexpected kiss on the cheek to apologize. Miki blushed and the two shyly held hands while Su and Ikuto were finishing up.

"Well, I guess I'll just leave Yoru with you, Miki," Ikuto teased with a wink. "He seems pretty happy."

"Shut-up, nya," Yoru replied with a blush.

Ikuto looked at the two charas and smiled. He hoped with all his heart that he could soon be holding hands like that with Amu, although, he wouldn't do it nearly as shyly as Yoru was; it just wasn't in his nature to be shy. If anything, Ikuto would just grab Amu's hand and then hold on to it tightly as she struggled to free it, telling her that he would never let her go, no matter what. He would win her heart, no matter what it took. Ikuto snapped out of his brief day dream and waved a casual goodbye to the two lovebirds. "I'll catch you two later," Ikuto said. "Play nice now." With a wink and chuckle, he ran out the door, obviously eager to set up everything for his evening with Amu. He climbed into his blue convertible with Su hovering near his head and started the engine with a roar. Much to Su's surprise, he quickly sped away from the curb and went down the street at a good clip. Only a few seconds later Su spoke up.

"Ikuto-san, I know that you are really excited about tonight," she started in a nervous, high-pitched voice, and then winced as she looked at the speedometer, "but could you please slow down?"

"No way," Ikuto replied. "I want this evening to be perfect and the sooner I get started, the sooner I can finish and the sooner I can see Amu again." Ikuto looked at Su with a grin and then noticed how terrified the little green chara looked. He sighed and backed it down a little bit. "Happy?" he asked.

"I guess that's a little better," replied Su, still obviously not completely comfortable, but Ikuto didn't notice. He was too lost in thought.

Su looked at Ikuto. His eyes were far away, in another world, and a soft smile settled on his face as he drove, the wind blowing through his silky, blue hair. Su sensed his excitement under his stoic expression; she could see it deep in his eyes. She smiled to herself and tried to avoid looking at the speedometer for the rest of the trip and thought about the next few hours. _I know that Ikuto's plan will work_, she thought. _All these years of waiting and longing…this just has to work out for them, desu! _ Su's thoughts wandered to all the flowers and things in the trunk of Ikuto's car and slowly, a picture of the perfect setting came to her mind. As Ikuto got closer to the park, Su became more and more excited. _Amu-chan is going to love this surprise, desu!_

* * *

**Oooooo. What could the surprise be? Guess you'll just have to read my next update to find out! :D**

***Phew* I can't believe that took almost 6 months to write! I promise to have another update as soon as I can but be warned, it could take a few months. I'll do my best!**

**Don't forget to comment and review! It's the only way I know that people like what I write and how I get ideas to make it better! :D**


	7. Suspense

**Hey guys! Thanks for being so patient with my lack of updates. It's been super busy but here is the next chapter. Let me know what you think! I promise to update more :D**

* * *

"How does this one look?" asked Nagi as he spun in place. He was showcasing a light blue, zip up hoodie with a black design covering the front. Amu giggled a little at the sight of her best friend twirling around like a ballerina. The best part was that he was actually rather graceful, due to his dancing background. Even though Nagihiko had been walking around as a boy for many years now, he still walked with the grace of a dancer.

"I like it," Amu replied. "You should get it. It really suits you."

Nagi looked again in the mirror, studying his reflection thoughtfully. "I think you're right, Amu-chan," Nagi replied. "I'll get this one." Nagi slipped off the jacket and tossed it at Amu who easily caught it.

"What am I, you're pack mule?" she asked, holding up the jacket. "You are perfectly capable of carrying this yourself."

"Please, Amu-chan?" Nagi asked with a winning smile. "I've still got all this stuff to carry." Nagi motioned to the mountain of clothes still left in his dressing room. Amu sighed and then smiled, amused by her friend's predicament. All of her friends had this problem actually. Since they had attended a school that had uniforms, they didn't have much in the way of street clothes. This was Amu's third shopping trip in two weeks to help her friends pick out new outfits. Amu had learned a thing or two about fashion from Miki over the years and was now the official authority on clothing and accessories.

"What am I going to do with you?" asked Amu as she walked past Nagi to grab some more of his clothes.

"Love me, of course," he replied with a chuckle as he grabbed the rest of the clothes. Amu rolled her eyes and followed Nagi to the checkout to pay for his new wardrobe. After an afternoon of shopping, both of them were laden with bags. They walked through the mall and pretty soon, Amu was out of breath.

"Can we stop for a second?" she asked. "If I have to take one more step, I think I might just fall over."

Nagi looked over at his exhausted friend and laughed. "There's a bench over there by the jewelry stand. Can you make it that far?"

Amu shot him a glare and then made her way to the bench. Once there, she collapsed onto it and groaned. "Was buying this many clothes really necessary, Nagi? These bags weigh a ton."

"Sorry, Amu-chan," Nagi replied as he sat down next to her. "I'll make it up to you sometime."

"You'd better," Amu grumbled, crossing her arms across her chest. Nagihiko laughed and then poked Amu in the side, making her jump and giggle. She playfully slapped his hand away but Nagi kept at it, tickling her until she cried for mercy. "Ok, ok! You win!" Amu said between laughs. Nagi stopped tickling her and laughed as she finally relaxed her body out of the ball shape she had been in.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Nagi said suddenly. He started digging through the various bags that surrounded them until he found the one he was looking for. He pulled out a pair of earrings and presented them to Amu. "I saw them and thought you might like them." She took the earrings in her hands and examined them. They were little dangly black cats in a sitting position. Immediately, she thought of Ikuto and blushed.

"Wh-what made you pick these out?" she asked.

Nagi raised his eyebrows in a "isn't it obvious" expression, causing Amu to sigh. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"I don't know," Amu replied. "I don't know what to think."

"Well, aren't you happy?" Nagi asked. "Ikuto-kun is the main reason for all of the moping you've done for the past six years."

"I think I'm happy," Amu replied ambiguously. "I guess, I'm just nervous because it's been so long since I've seen him. I've changed in these past few years Nagi, and so has he I'd wager."

"Hmm, that could be a problem, I suppose," Nagi replied, "but, I don't think you're all the different, Amu-chan."

"Yes I am," Amu said. "I'm older, I have more experiences. Stuff has happened to me, Nagi, and it's changed me, made me grow up. I'm not that little sixth grader anymore."

Nagi smiled and tucked a piece of bubble gum pink hair behind her ear. "I agree that you are different in the respect of how you look at things compared to how you saw them six years ago," Nagi said, "but the core person of who you are hasn't changed. You're still the secretly shy, stubborn girl that stands up for what she believes in that you were back in grade school. Plus, I don't think that Ikuto-kun is expecting to see the little sixth grader he left behind all those years ago."

"How can you be sure of that?" Amu asked, a hint of desperation in her voice. "What if I'm too different? What if he doesn't have a reason to stay?"

"Well, you can definitely take my word for it," Nagi replied with a smile, "but if you need concrete proof, just look at Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia. They're still here, aren't they?"

This brought Amu up short and her prepared response died on her tongue. _Of course_, she thought, _how could I forget?_ If they haven't changed or gone back into their eggs, then I couldn't have changed all that much. Maybe Nagi's right. Even though I'm not exactly the same person I was six years ago, I'm still me. No matter what I put after "I am," the "I am" never changes.

Amu smiled and hugged her friend. "Thank you so much, Nagi. You always know just what to say."

Nagihiko chuckled and wrapped his arms around her in return. "I'll always be here to help you out, Amu-chan."

Suddenly, Amu heard a voice calling her name. "Amu-chan! Amu-chan! Are you guys done shopping yet?" Amu glanced up to see Ran, flying toward them at top speed with Dia not too far behind. She removed herself from the hug and smiled at her two charas.

"We just finished," she replied as Dia and Ran came to rest on .

"Amu had to stop for a break because of all the bags," Nagi told Ran and Dia.

Ran and Dia glanced over to the mountain of bags that surrounded the bench and sweat dropped. "Wow, Nagi, do you really need this many clothes?" Ran asked.

"You'd be surprised how fast your wardrobe can get boring when you don't enough options," he replied matter-of-factly. Amu started giggling and Nagi looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, Nagi, you are such a girl sometimes!" Amu said with a laugh. Ran and Dia soon collapsed into laughter as well and Nagi just stood there, trying to be offended, but soon, he too started laughing. Dia was the first to recover.

"Amu-chan, we need to get back home," Dia said sweetly. "It's getting late."

Amu looked at her phone and saw that it was already five o'clock in the afternoon. "Wow, time sure flies, doesn't it?" she said. She looked over at Nagi. "Are you ready to go?"

"Sure. I'll walk you back home to make sure you don't get lost," Nagi said with a knowing smile. Ran and Dia giggled while Amu shot her best friend a glare.

"I am perfectly capable of finding my way home on my own. It's been awhile since I've gotten lost!"

"Yeah, a week," Ran said. "You got lost going home from dance class last Wednesday."

"Shut-up, Ran," Amu said while a fierce blush crept into her cheeks.

Nagi chuckled, picked up his bags, and followed Amu as she walked to the park's exit. Once home, Nagi gave her a hug, said goodnight and continued down the road to his house. Amu opened the door and called out, "Su? Miki? We're back!"

The house answered with silence so Amu called again. After, again, not hearing a reply, she wandered into the kitchen and spotted a small note on the spotless counter. It read:

Miki and I went out to the park. We wanted some fresh air after cleaning the kitchen. We'll be back soon! -Su

"I guess they got a little restless, cooped up in the house all day," said Ran, reading the note over Amu's shoulder.

"I hope they're ok," said Amu, slightly worried. "When you guys venture off on your own, bad things tend to happen."

"Not always," said Dia, "just sometimes."

Amu sighed. "Well, there's no helping it. We'll just have to stick around here until they get back. I wasn't planning on doing anything else anyway."

"Let's call Kukai and go play soccer outside!" shouted Ran.

"Where would we play?" Amu asked her excited chara with a laugh. "I don't have a yard, remember?"

Ran giggled and scratched her head. "Oh yeah, I forgot." Both Dia and Amu sweat dropped at Ran's carefree and impulsive nature.

"I know!" said Dia. "Let's go play dress up!"

"Why?" asked Amu, confused. "I haven't done that since junior high."

"Which is exactly why you should!" said Dia matter-of-factly. "Come on!" Dia flew off up the stairs. Amu looked at Ran with an inquisitive eyes but Ran just shrugged and followed Dia. Amu sighed, exasperated by her chara's complete randomness today, and went up the stairs.

She entered her room and saw Ran and Dia floating over her bed, looking at an outfit that had been laid out. On the bed sat another note, from Miki this time that read:

I made an outfit for you while Su was cleaning up from breakfast because I was bored. I hope you like it. –Miki

Amu laughed. She could practically hear Miki's voice as she tried not to sound like she cared. She smiled and examined the outfit more closely. It was a shirt and skirt combo with black ballet flats and her blue choker that she wore to graduation from her friend Lulu. The shirt was white with a square cut at the top. It was gathered at the waist and had midnight blue ribbon weaving through the fabric in a line under her bust and again parallel mid-stomach. The skirt was in three layers, each one on top of the other. The one on top was the shortest and the layer underneath was the longest, coming just above her knees. Each was a different shade of blue, going darker with each layer.

"Try it on, Amu-chan!" exclaimed Ran with excitement.

"Ok," replied Amu. She put the outfit on quickly; excited to see how it would look. Once the shirt was tucked in and the choker was tied, she stood in front of the mirror and smiled at her reflection. The outfit was perfect, of course, flattering her figure well and bringing out the gold in her eyes. Ran and Dia were staring at her too.

"Please let me do you hair and make-up, Amu-chan," said Dia pleadingly. Amu could see the unshielded desire in her bright eyes and could see her fingers twitching to get to work.

"Sure," Amu complied. "We don't have anything better to do."

"Yay! Thank you, Amu-chan!"

"I want to help!" exclaimed Ran with excitement.

Amu laughed as she watched Dia and Ran go and grab her make-up kit from the bathroom, chattering with excitement. She turned back to the mirror to admire her reflection, wondering what her charas could possibly be up to. _Why do I have this sinking feeling that Ikuto's involved?_

* * *

"Perfect!" Miki exclaimed as she examined her handiwork. Ikuto had to agree. White lights and flowers decorated the trees, lighting up the area with a soft glow. More white flowers floated in the fountain at the center of the park area where Amu and Ikuto had sat with their ice cream not so many years ago. A battery operated CD player had been scrounged up for the occasion and inside was a CD of songs that Utau had helped him pick out for the occasion. Ikuto stood looking around at it all, slightly amazed that they had been able to pull this off.

"Yeah! Amu is going to freak, nya!" said Yoru. "Great job, Miki, nya."

Miki blushed slightly as she thanked him.

"Now, all we need is for Dia and Ran to get Amu here, desu," said Su. Ikuto smiled and then laughed. "What?" asked Su.

"I wonder when she'll figure out that something's up," Ikuto replied. "Whose idea was it that Ran should stay with Amu again?"

"Yeah, maybe that wasn't the best idea, nya," said Yoru.

"I'm sure that Ran can keep quiet about this one thing, desu," said Su with complete sincerity.

Everyone in the group just stared at her with disbelief written plainly on their faces. Ikuto didn't care too much if Ran spilled the beans, just as long as she delivered Amu to the park. With the stage set, he felt butterflies flutter around in his stomach, an unfamiliar feeling with him. At first, he didn't know quite how to take it but then decided that he liked it. Tonight, he would show her how much he loved her and how serious he was about staying by her side.

* * *

"Finished!" exclaimed Dia as she finished applying Amu's lip gloss. Amu opened her eyes a smiled at Dia.

"Thank you, Dia," she told her chara.

"Go look in the mirror Amu-chan!" Ran ordered impatiently. "You have to see yourself. You look so pretty."

"Ok, ok," Amu said with a laugh. She walked over to her mirror and stifled a gasp as she caught her reflection. Silver eye shadow shined on her eyelids, bringing out her golden eyes. A soft pink blush was applied lightly to her cheeks, giving her a soft, doll like appearance. Lastly was the pink lip gloss which added just enough color to her lips to bring out their fullness. She looked stunning.

"Oh, guys, it's perfect," Amu said softly.

Dia and Ran high-fived each other in triumph, squealing with glee.

"Oh, I can't wait until Ikuto-kun sees you!" Ran exclaimed. As soon as the words left her mouth she clamped her hand over her lips and her eyes grew wide.

"Ran!" Dia exclaimed.

"Whoops," was her only reply.

"So Ikuto is involved in this," Amu said to her charas. "I figured as much."

Despite her outward calm, butterflies started to stir in her stomach. This was the night. Tonight, she would tell Ikuto how mad she was at him for leaving but how much she still loved him anyway. She knew that no matter what had happened in the past, if he asked her to be his, she would say yes in an instant. Taking a deep, calming breath, she turned toward her two charas.

"Ok, where are you going to take me?"

* * *

**Read, rate, and review! I'll have another update SOON!**


	8. Taking Chances

**Hey guys! Long time no update, huh? I'm really sorry about that! I have to thank from the bottom of my heart all of my readers (you guys are awesome!) who have been sticking with this story and have had faith in me. I even have to thank those of you who figuratively kicked me in the butt to make me finish this chapter. You might not believe me, but this chapter has been in development for awhile. I just haven't had the inspiration to finish it until recently. So thanks!**

**To anyone new, welcome to chapter 8, Taking Chances. I hope you have enjoyed the story thus far and I hope you enjoy this update! Without further delay, here is your long awaited update. I hope it lives up to your expectations!**

* * *

For the first time in his life, Ikuto was genuinely nervous. He paced back and forth across the courtyard, looking at his watch every five seconds. Ran was supposed to get Amu here five minutes ago.

Su, Yoru, and Miki looked on with slightly amused expressions as they watched Ikuto pace.

"I'm sure they're coming, desu," said Su with a reassuring smile. "Amu-chan is never on time for anything, desu."

Ikuto laughed quietly, "That's true." He stopped pacing and checked his watch for the umpteenth time. He looked up at the charas helplessly, causing Miki to start giggling.

"What are you laughing at?" Ikuto asked, slightly offended.

"I've just never seen you this much of a mess before," Miki said, still giggling. "You're usually so calm and collected."

Just as Ikuto was about to retort, he saw Ran flying toward them in the distance. His brow creased as he frowned; Amu wasn't behind her.

"Where is she?" he asked Ran and she approached.

"Well," she began as she flew up to the group, "we were right about to go through the entrance of the park and she lost her nerve."

"What do you mean?" Ikuto asked.

"Well, we got to the entrance and she just stopped and refused to go any further. She started freaking out about how she couldn't face you even though back at the house she seemed pretty set on coming here to meet you–"

"Wait," Ikuto interrupted, throwing his hand up in a "stop" gesture. "How did she know that she was coming to meet me?"

"Well," Ran said, looking down at her feet as she spoke, "I might have let it slip that I was really excited that you were going to see her while she looked so pretty…"

"Ran!" Miki yelled, exasperated.

"I'm sorry!" Ran replied with sincerity, "It just slipped out after we finished giving her a makeover."

Ikuto sighed, "Oh well." He ran a hand through his hair which did nothing to diminish his god-like looks. "She's going to come one way or the other so I guess I'll just have to go and get her." He chuckled to himself as he set off down the path. "Oh Amu, you always make things so difficult."

"Do you want us to come with you, nya?" Yoru yelled after him.

Ikuto waved his hand and said, "Nah, just be gone by the time I come back with Amu." He sighed as he walked away from the lights and towards the gates of the park. However, he couldn't help but smile because this was classic Amu. When he arrived, she would do one of two things: she would either throw up her façade or try to run away. No matter what happened tonight, he wasn't letting her chicken out. He loved Amu too much to ever let her go again.

* * *

Amu leaned against the wall of the park trying to control her breathing. Back at her house, she had felt that she could do this. She could face him and her feelings and be honest. But the closer she got to the park, the more her confidence wavered. Finally, she had broken down right here. No matter how much Ran and Dia reassured her, she just couldn't bring herself to go any further. She was scared and nervous and she couldn't handle it. Dia sent Ran ahead to tell Ikuto what was happening while Dia stayed and tried to calm Amu down.

"It's ok, Amu-chan," Dia was saying. "You can do this. Believe in your light, and I know that you can get through this."

Amu managed to calm her breathing enough to reply without sounding completely hysterical. "I'm just so nervous, Dia. I've never been this nervous about seeing him before. He always comes so unexpectedly that I've never had time to feel nervous."

Dia patted her arm reassuringly. "Why do you feel nervous, Amu-chan?"

"Because I like him. I've never felt this way about anyone before, and it's been so long since I've had to deal with these feelings. I'm afraid that I won't be able to say what I want to say."

"You can and you will, Amu-chan," Dia replied with a smile.

All of the sudden, Amu heard footsteps coming down the path. She was almost too afraid to look up and see who was approaching but she finally forced herself to look.

There was Ikuto, handsome as ever in black jeans, white shirt, and blue jacket, calmly walking down the path toward her. Despite her best efforts, her heart rate picked up again and she began to hyperventilate. She made the mistake of looking into his eyes, those gorgeous sapphire orbs that sparkled in the moonlight. She had seen how expressive those eyes could be. She remembered back in elementary school when Ikuto was working for Easter how full of sadness and pain his eyes had been. Even more frightening was the emptiness she saw while Ikuto was under the control of the awful tuning fork that Easter had made in hopes of controlling Ikuto.

Now, his eyes didn't hold any of that. Instead, they shone brightly with a calm that only belongs to a person who is perfectly comfortable with who they are and how their life is going. In them she saw happiness, his usual lighthearted attitude, and something she couldn't quite identify, something that scared her ever so slightly. She wouldn't have thought it possible for Ikuto to look any more handsome, but with so many positive feelings shining in his eyes, he was stunning.

He approached her cautiously; as if afraid she might bolt. She was giving the idea serious consideration. As he came closer to her, a kind smile on his face, she wondered how good her chances were of making it back to her house before-

"I'll just catch you." His velvety, deep voice cut through the tense darkness and struck right into Amu's heart.

Damn. She knew he was right. He continued to hold her gaze as he calmly approached, finally stopping a foot in front of her. He held out his hand and asked, "Will you come with me, Amu?" His eyes shone with kindness, calm, and another, more frightening emotion that she would not acknowledge just yet. His mouth was curved into a gentle smile.

Finding her voice, she asked, "Where are you taking me?"

His smile turned slightly mischievous and his eyes gleamed with a secret. "That's a surprise."

She gulped nervously. She looked behind her and then back at Ikuto. She could turn and run, right now, but deep down; she knew that wasn't the answer. Her mind told her to run but her heart yearned to take his hand. Plus, the determined look in his eyes told her that he would most likely catch her before she even made it one hundred feet and drag her back. Dia floated up to her ear and whispered, "Go on, Amu-chan. "

Dia's encouragement gave Amu the last ounce of courage she needed. "Fine," Amu replied, looking down at the ground, her "cool and spicy" character coming out just a little bit. She tentatively put her hand in his and he grasped it firmly. An electric shock went up her arm and spread warmth and jitters throughout her entire body. A blush automatically colored her cheeks and when she heard Ikuto chuckle, she knew he saw it. His hands were warm and she liked the feel of his slender fingers against hers. He pulled her gently away from the wall and led her down the path.

She tried not to look at him while they walked, but after about five seconds, she couldn't help it. She glanced up at his face. He looked ahead, perfectly calm and happy to be walking with her, it seemed. Sensing her gaze, he turned to look at her. She looked away hurriedly, her blush deepening. He chuckled again.

"What are you thinking about, Amu? You're awfully quiet for someone who was hyperventilating just a few minutes ago."

"Sh-shut up! I was not hyperventilating," Amu replied forcefully, but still blushing.

"Oh, so there was someone else near the entrance of the park breathing heavily," Ikuto replied.

Amu chose to remain silent as Ikuto continued to lead her down the path. Her mind was a whirl of thought and feeling. Anxiousness fought against excitement which in turn competed with the butterflies in her stomach. To calm herself, she concentrated on the reassuring touch of Ikuto's hand in hers. She liked how he hadn't let go.

After a minute or so, Amu realized that they were heading toward the fountain where he had antagonized her all those years ago. She smiled to herself and blushed slightly, thinking of the memory. Suddenly, Ikuto stopped walking, stepped behind her, and covered her eyes with a slender hand.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Amu asked, surprised.

"Well, I don't want to ruin the surprise for you," he whispered into her ear. His voice sent shivers down her spine and made her stomach do some pretty impressive acrobatic tricks. He chuckled. "Cold?" he asked, knowing perfectly well that she wasn't cold.

Amu blushed and replied, "Y-yes."

Ikuto chuckled again and began to guide her forward, one hand always over her eyes, and the other holding her hand.

"Are we there yet?" Amu asked a few moments later, nervousness coloring her voice.

"Almost," he replied.

Within another minute, Ikuto and Amu stood in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by white roses and white lights, which were reflected in the fountain.

As Amu stood there, blind to what was around her, she couldn't help but let out a nervous and excited giggle. She felt more than heard Ikuto chuckle at her excitement. She felt him lean from behind and whisper into her ear.

"Are you ready, Amu?"

The butterflies in her stomach increased as she nodded her head and Ikuto removed his hand from her eyes.

She gasped. There were no words. There were no words to describe the magnificence that surrounded her. The trees had been decorated with white Christmas lights, causing a pleasant glow to engulf the courtyard. Interspersed with the Christmas lights, there were strings and strings of white lilies, daisies, and roses hanging on the branches. The fountain had been similarly decorated with strings of flowers and lights. As she approached, she saw white lilies and white, glowing candles floating in the pool of the fountain. She turned from the fountain and gazed around in wonder, her hands covering her mouth in shock. No matter where she looked, her gaze found beauty.

Suddenly she heard a deep chuckle from behind her and was reminded that Ikuto was still there. Lost in the shock and beauty, she had completely forgotten about him. She turned to him now and slowly walked back up to him. A beautiful smile lit up his face and a kind of anxiousness lit the back of his eyes.

"Why?" she asked him in wonder. "How?"

Ikuto chuckled again. "So you like it?"

"I love it!" Amu replied enthusiastically. Her eyes shone with happiness and all her walls were down. "It's beautiful. But, how did you do all this?"

"I might have had some help," Ikuto replied with a mischievous smile.

Amu remembered Miki and Su's sudden absence earlier that day, after they were finished with the kitchen. "You stole Miki and Su earlier today, didn't you?"

Ikuto laughed. "Is it really stealing when they came willingly to help me?"

Far off in the distance, they heard a familiar chara say, "Hey! Don't forget about me, nya!"

"And Yoru helped too, of course," Ikuto amended. Calling over his shoulder, he added, "Of course, I think he was more interested in the fact that Miki was helping than actually helping me at all."

Amu didn't hear a response and Ikuto just chuckled. "That usually shuts him up pretty quickly," he said as he turned back to her with an amused smile.

Amu giggled, thinking of how Miki would blush furiously anytime she mentioned Yoru. "Yeah, Miki gets pretty shy when we tease her about Yoru."

Ikuto was suddenly curious about something and called out into the trees, knowing that Miki and Yoru were still there, watching. "Hey, Miki!"

"Y-yes?" she replied hesitantly.

"How does Amu react when I come up in conversation?"

He heard Miki giggle as she replied, "She usually starts blushing and stuttering pretty badly."

Amu was mortified. "Miki!" she yelled angrily. "I'm going to get you for that!" Amu started to stomp off in the direction of Miki's voice in hopes of killing her blue chara but also hoping to avoid Ikuto until her blush went away, but was held back by a hand grasping her own. Ikuto pulled her back to face him. They stood like that for awhile, Amu blushing furiously and looking at the ground while Ikuto looked at her with a triumphant gleam in his eye.

Then, Ikuto gently placed his finger under her chin, and guided Amu's head up until he could look her in the eye. Amu caught her breath at the unexpected proximity of his hand. She looked up and saw a joyous smile lighting up his face and a gentle, caring emotion spreading in his eyes. It was the same emotion that she saw in Kukai's eyes when he looked at Utau or when her dad looked at her mom. Her walls started to come down as he moved his hand to cup her cheek.

"So, you still get flustered when I come up in conversation, eh?" he asked teasingly, his smile softening. "I would have thought you'd have grown out of that by now."

"W-whatever," she replied quietly, her blush deepening. She couldn't deny what Miki had said. Of course she became flustered whenever he was mentioned. She had an almost scary attachment to this blue-haired man. So scary, that it was harder than she would like to admit that to him. Was she ready to trust him?

She knew she should say it: she needed to tell him that she liked him, that she never wanted him to leave her again. No matter how hard she tried, however, she couldn't make the words come out.

Ikuto gazed into Amu's eyes as he watched her struggle to say something more. He could see how flustered and nervous she was, but he could also see a desperate need. It made his heart soar to think that maybe, that need was for him. She was so close to letting her guard down to him, so close to admitting what he had seen growing in her for years. She was so close to trusting him, and he wanted that more than anything else in the world. She just needed one more push.

Amu was a little disappointed when he removed his hand from her cheek and stepped away. Instead, he took her hand and led her over to a CD player.

"What's t-this?" she asked, still pretty flustered.

"I didn't decorate the park for you to just look at it," he replied with a chuckle. He pressed the play button, and a piano melody started to play. He turned back to her and extended his hand. "Hinamori Amu, would you do me of the honor of dancing with me?"

Amu just stared at his hand uncomprehendingly for a second and then back up into his eyes. Hesitantly, she extended her hand and placed it in his. He grasped her hand firmly and led her over toward the fountain. He pulled her to him, taking her right hand in his left while his other hand came around and settle comfortably on her back. Her left arm automatically settled on his right shoulder so that they were in a waltzing position. Ikuto looked straight into her eyes as he started the dance, perfectly in step with the piano music in the background. The steps were thankfully familiar, as she had started dance lessons a few years ago.

As the piano music flowed, she and Ikuto danced around the courtyard. The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy. She closed her eyes as his intoxicating smell invaded her senses and she inhaled deeply without thinking. She missed the smell of him all these years. It was a comforting smell that made her feel warm inside.

"Do I smell good?" he asked with a chuckle.

Amu started and realized what she had done. "Uh…um…well…" she stuttered.

Suddenly, Ikuto leaned in, still dancing, and took a deep breath. "It's ok," he said close to her ear, "I missed the way you smelled too."

Curious, Amu asked, "What do I smell like?"

Ikuto pulled back and then twirled her around. Amu giggled at the sudden twirl, feeling like she was just five years old again. As they resumed the steps, Ikuto said, "You smell like strawberries and vanilla. It's a very lovely smell. I've missed it." Ikuto paused for second, then said, "I've missed you."

Again, Amu blushed a very pretty shade of red and softly replied, "I missed you too."

Ikuto smiled triumphantly at this admittance. The piano song came to an end, and a new, more popular song, came over the speakers. She recognized the voice of Celine Dion. Amu listened to the lyrics as she and Ikuto continued to twirl around the courtyard, lost in each other's eyes.

_Don't know much about your life_

_Don't know much about your world but,_

_Don't wanna be alone tonight _

_On this planet we call Earth._

_You don't know about my past and,_

_I don't have a future figured out._

_And maybe this is going too fast._

_And maybe it's not meant to last._

_But what do you say to taking chances?_

_What do you say to jumpin' off the edge?_

_Never knowing if there's solid ground below,_

_Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,_

_What do you say?_

_What do you say?_

As they waltzed, Amu realized how relevant this song was. Whoever had helped him pick out the music had really struck the right chord with this song. Taking this chance on Ikuto was a huge leap of faith. Who knew what would happen after she graduated and when she went to college?

But, as she looked into his eyes, she saw how focused they were on her. His gaze was so strong, so powerful, so full of….love. Finally, she could see and admit that it was love that was shining so clearly through his eyes, and it nearly took her breath away.

_And I had my heart beating down,_

_But I always come back for more, yeah._

_There's nothing like love to pull you up,_

_When you're lying down on the floor there._

_So talk to me, talk to me,_

_Like lovers do._

_Yeah walk with me, walk with me,_

_Like lovers do,_

_Like lovers do._

As the song hit its final refrain, Ikuto and Amu slowed to a stop, despite the rising energy of the song. Their arms were still around each other from waltzing and Ikuto released her hand and placed both his arms around her waist. Amu's arms automatically went around his neck. She was blushing furiously, not quite sure what he had in mind as he leaned his head closer to hers. The butterflies in her stomach increased a fraction for every inch of space that disappeared between them. Could she do this? Could she trust him so completely?

He leaned his head on her forehead. "Amu," he whispered softly. He could still see some resistance in her eyes. Just a little bit longer and she would completely trust him, after all these years.

"Y-yes," she replied, softly.

"I promise that from this moment on, I will never leave your side again. Until you send me away yourself, you will never be without me. No matter what happens in the years to come, one thing will not change." Her eyes widened as he spoke, displaying shock and happiness. He continued, "I love you, Hinamori Amu, and I have come back for you, just as I promised."

Amu's breath stopped as she listened to Ikuto's confession. His words unlocked her heart and all the feelings she had harbored for Ikuto over the past eight years, including the years when they fought Easter together, came flooding out. Tears pricked her eyes and the most honest, joyous smile she had ever expressed blossomed across her face.

Ikuto, however, was taken a bit by surprise by the tears. Sure, he could handle x-eggs and personal torment, but the one thing he could not handle was Amu crying. "Hey," he said as he wiped her tears away with his thumb. "Why are you crying? You're not supposed to be crying."

Amu smiled up at him through her tears of joy and laughed helplessly. "I'm happy you idiot. When girls are really happy, we start crying sometimes."

Tears continued to stream down her face. Ikuto stood there, not knowing exactly what to do. On an impulse, she pulled him into a hug. She felt Ikuto tighten his arms around her waist and hold her in a loving embrace. She inhaled deeply, unashamed of the fact that she missed him; everything about him. After being held there for awhile, she pulled back slightly from their hug so that she could look in his eyes once again. She took a deep breath and let everything spill out.

"I-I love you too, Ikuto," she said in a rush. "I don't ever want you to leave my side again because if you did, my heart may break for good. I need you to stay. I need you to promise that you'll stay. When you left six years ago, I didn't think that I would miss you so much, but I did. Every moment of every day, I was wondering where you'd gone and what you were doing. Most frighteningly, I wondered if you found someone else. For six years, I had those thoughts running through my head and it was torture. You can't do that to me again. You can't just leave me here and expect it to be ok." As she went on she got angrier and angrier, since the pent up love came with pent up anger. "It wasn't fair what you did and-"

Ikuto placed a finger on her lips to stop the endless deluge. He hadn't realized he had hurt her this much and it killed him inside to think that he had. Six years is a long time to wonder, and she was right: it wasn't fair of him. But he resolved, right then and there, to spend the rest of his life making up for it. He had finally found happiness in this strange, pink haired girl – no – woman. Sure, she wasn't exactly the same, but after all, he hadn't expected her to stay the same. For this to work, they would both have to change, but change and grow with each other.

"Amu," he said. "You're right. It wasn't fair to leave you and I'll never be able to tell you how sorry I am for that. But, I promise you that I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. You won't have to wonder ever again." He took her face in both his hands and stared into those golden orbs he had come to know so well. "I promise," he vowed.

Amu smiled; a smile so big and full of joy that she felt like a goofball but didn't care. He loved her. He wasn't leaving her. He was staying. She had never been so happy in her entire life and she started giggling due to sheer happiness. On a rare impulse, she placed her hand on Ikuto's cheek. She could see the surprise in his eyes as she stroked his skin with her thumb. Inevitably, the space between them closed inch by inch. Amu closed her eyes just as Ikuto's lips captured her own.

The effect was instantaneous. A roaring fire burst from the contact and spread warmth everywhere throughout her body. They wrapped their arms tightly around one another as they pulled each other closer. This kiss had waited for years, and both could feel the passion, want, need, and impossible love behind it. Most notably was the burning sensation that Amu felt in the pit of her stomach that flamed brighter and brighter as she continued to kiss the man she loved.

After a minute or so, both came up for air. Ikuto rested his head on Amu's forehead and smiled at her. Amu returned his smile and giggled like a little girl.

"Wow," she said, somewhat breathlessly.

Ikuto chuckled and a mysterious twinkle entered his eyes. "Amazing," he agreed. "And to think, you spent so much time trying to avoid this very moment."

"What do you mean?" Amu asked, puzzled.

"Well, if I remember correctly, you became pretty flustered anytime I was anywhere near you, especially when I teased you."

Amu's mind filled with all the different times he had invaded her personal space bubble, causing her to freak out, and for good reason too!

"Well yeah! I was in _sixth grade_ you pervert!"

Ikuto laughed. "I'm sure you secretly enjoyed it, _Amu_," he said, doing that infuriating thing where he emphasized her name.

Amu let out an exasperated sigh. "I refuse to dignify that with an answer," she replied.

Ikuto took her hand in his. "I'll take that as a yes," he said with a smirk.

"Whatever makes you happy," Amu mumbled.

Ikuto smiled, "You make me happy."

Amu blushed again. "I'm going to have to get used to this lovely-dovey side of you. I'm not quite used to it."

"What, did you want me to sexually harass you and tease you all that time?" he asked with a mischievous smile. "Because that can be arranged."

"No!" Amu exclaimed, horrified. "Oh please, God, no!"

Ikuto laughed. "I'm just kidding," he replied.

"I really don't think you were," she said in return.

Ikuto just winked in reply. Amu yawned suddenly and looked at her watch.

"Oh my God! It's nine thirty!" she said with a cry.

Ikuto just raised an eyebrow. "And…..," he replied.

"It's going to take thirty minutes to walk home and my curfew is at ten."

Ikuto just rolled his eyes. "I can take care of that."

Suddenly, Ikuto's tail and cat ears popped out and he swept her up into his arms. Amu yelped in surprise.

"W-what are you doing?" she asked, blushing madly.

"Taking you home, princess," Ikuto replied with a wink and a smile.

Before she could protest, he leapt up into the trees, cradling her softly in his arms.

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**Whew! That was a long one! I figured you guys deserved it though, since you have been waiting for a very, very long time! Thanks again for sticking with the story as I struggle to present it in the best way possible! Don't forget to review below! Reviews are the one thing that keeps me going with my updates. They remind me that people really do want to know the end of the story and that I probably need to get my butt in gear and write it. So, again, review review review! Hopefully, I'll have the next update for you by the end of October! Thanks!**

**Xiajem out :)**


	9. A Lovely Night

**Hey guys! Xiajem here! So after the longest semester of my life, here is the ninth chapter of Graduation Amuto (I really should come up with a better title than that...). I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years and received everything that you asked for and spent lots of time with your families! I know I don't see mine enough! Sorry for the delay, but honestly, I'm doing my best to get this story finished. Anyway, without further adieu, chapter 9:**

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Amu breathed in the cool, crisp air as Ikuto leapt from rooftop to rooftop with her cradled in his strong arms. Despite the night chill, Amu wasn't cold. The warmth emanating off Ikuto kept her warm enough. As they sailed through the night sky, she looked around at the bright lights of the town below, wondering at their beauty. However, it wasn't long before she was staring at Ikuto's handsome face yet again. She took in his midnight blue hair, handsome face, and sapphire eyes and wondered how it was legal for anyone to be so good looking. As if sensing her gaze, Ikuto looked down at her and smiled in return, happiness dancing in his sapphire eyes. Amu couldn't imagine a place she would rather be at this very moment in her life.

All too soon, Ikuto landed in front of her house and gently set her down. She looked up at him, a shy blush coloring her cheeks. "Th-thank you," she said softly.

"For what?" Ikuto asked with a smile.

"You know what," she replied with a playful glare.

Ikuto chuckled and enveloped her in his arms. "Hmm, well yes, I do," he said softly, "but I want to hear you say it."

Amu froze at the sudden proximity, not quite used to his casual contact yet. The daring Amu who had stroked Ikuto's cheek was suddenly MIA. "Um," she said intelligently while her blush deepened. She looked away from his hypnotic eyes to try and gather her thoughts. Suddenly, she heard Ran say, "Character change: from a girl who can't confess her feelings to a girl who can!"

She had just enough time to think _Oh no!_ before a heart pendant popped up on her head and a dazzling, girlish smile bloomed on her face. She pulled back from the embrace, turned her dazzling smile on Ikuto and said, "Thank you so much for a wonderful night, Ikuto! I had so much fun and it was so romantic." Her dazzling smile stayed in place for about three more seconds, and then the change dropped.

Amu was mortified. She covered her face with her hands, trying to hide her red face, silently swearing to kill Ran later, but then she heard strange noises coming from Ikuto. She peeked at him through her fingers and saw him trying desperately not to laugh. A slender hand covered his mouth as he tried to hold his laughter in. She glared at him and put her hands by her side, "Don't laugh at me!" she said, stamping her foot on the ground, looking very much like a small child.

At that point, Ikuto burst out into peals of laughter. "Stop it!" Amu protested, a blush still coloring her face. She looked around to see if she could find Ran and strangle her, but the pink chara, and all her other charas, were nowhere to be seen.

"Don't ask the impossible," Ikuto replied and then continued to laugh.

Amu looked at the ground, embarrassment plain on her face. Eventually, she turned swiftly away from Ikuto, who was still laughing, and went through the gate toward the front door. Behind her, he said, "Hey! Where are you going?" To his shame, laughter still colored his voice.

"I'm going to bed," she said with a huff, her blush thankfully starting to drain from her cheeks. She heard movement and in a flash, Ikuto had jumped in front of her. She stopped abruptly to keep from running into him and turned her face to the ground to avoid his eyes. Ikuto smirked at her attempt to hide and took a step toward her, gently placing his fingers under her chin and lifting her gaze to meet his. He let all the passion and love from the past six years flood through them, showing her that he had never stopped loving her, not once.

Amu caught her breath as she saw the unchecked emotions in Ikuto's eyes that were definitely for her and her alone. He smiled, saying, "I'm very glad that you had a wonderful time tonight." He moved his hand to cup her cheek as he leaned forward and nuzzled here face with his. He felt Amu shiver and chuckled lightly to himself. In her ear, he whispered, "Please know that I had a great time as well, princess. I can't wait to dance with you again."

Amu was too distracted by the feel of Ikuto's breath in her ear to really pay attention to what he said. As he pulled back to look at her dazed face, the words registered and she blushed. Looking down, she stammered, "I-I can't wait to dance with y-you again either." Ikuto took her hand in his and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. Amu stiffened and then closed her eyes and relaxed into Ikuto, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him tight.

After a few moments, Ikuto pulled back and smiled down at his princess. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold air but it just made her look more beautiful. His eyes were suddenly caught by a small sparkle at the base of her neck and there he saw the necklace that she was wearing: a black egg pendant that dangled from a midnight blue ribbon. His smile grew soft as he touched the pendant.

Ikuto said simply, "You're wearing it."

Amu, confused, replied, "You mean the necklace?"

Ikuto smirked. "What else would I be talking about?"

Amu glared but answered, "Lulu sent it to me a few years ago and it seemed to match the outfit pretty well…" She trailed off, not knowing what it was he was getting at.

"I asked Lulu to make that for you, when I saw her in France," Ikuto replied. "I saw her jewelry shop one day and decided to pay her a visit to see what she was up to."

"Really?" Amu asked with surprise as she fingered the necklace. "I had no idea, although, I don't know why I'm so surprised." Amu smiled. "I do like it very much. It was a much needed comfort at the time."

"Well, I'm glad it helped," Ikuto replied, guilt flashing through his eyes. "You were on my mind constantly while I was abroad so I wanted to send you something that would make you think of me, in case you had forgotten about me." Ikuto smirked faintly.

"As if I could stop thinking about you," Amu replied, blushing. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "I could never forget about you. You leave a pretty permanent impression."

Ikuto chuckled, "I'll take that as a compliment."

Suddenly, Amu let out a big yawn and Ikuto chuckled, wishing Amu's charas were around to measure it. He had a feeling it might set a new record. "You should get to bed," he said kindly. "You're exhausted."

"Well, I did go through a lot today," she replied, giving Ikuto a look.

Ikuto only laughed, "You act like you didn't enjoy it."

Amu blushed and looked up at Ikuto. "I enjoyed myself very much." A shy smile spread across her face.

"As you've said," replied Ikuto, softly. He raised a hand to brush a loose strand of hair out of her face. "Good night, Amu," he said as he gazed into her eyes. "Sweet dreams."

Amu shivered slightly at his touch, "Good night, Ikuto. Sweet dreams."

Ikuto smiled a leaned down to give her a kiss goodnight. As their lips touched for the second time that night, both felt a spark go through their entire bodies, igniting their blood and taking their breath away. Amu wrapped her arms around Ikuto's neck and pulled him closer and Ikuto responded with similar passion and wrapped his arms more firmly around her waist as he deepened the kiss ever so slightly. _He tastes like nighttime_, Amu thought. After a few moments, the couple reluctantly pulled away from each other. Amu opened the door to her house and stepped inside. Before she closed the door she looked back at Ikuto and smiled softly. She saw Ikuto return her smile with one of his own as she closed the door.

In the living room were her parents, watching some kind of game show. They looked up as she entered the room. "Hello, Amu," said her mother as she checked her watch. "Where have you been all night?"

"Uh, well," Amu replied uneasily. Was she really ready for her parents to know that Ikuto was back? She wasn't exactly sure how her mother would react, considering the situation she and Ikuto were in the last time her mother had seen them. She eventually decided that honesty was the best policy, especially when it came to her parents. After all, her mother had asked her to be more honest about what was going on in her life.

"Ikuto's back in town," began Amu carefully, gauging her mother's reaction. "He took me out after I got back from shopping with Nagi."

Midori just smiled. "Oh how nice! I hope you had a great time."

Amu's father, on the other hand, looked like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. "You were on a date?! With a boy?!" her father asked incredulously.

Amu's mother just put a hand on her husband's shoulder. "She is eighteen now, sweetheart."

"And I do like boys," Amu said. _I've liked this boy for awhile._

Her father just looked back dejectedly at the TV. Her mother smiled. "So, how was it?" she asked.

Amu couldn't keep a giant grin from spreading across her face. "It was wonderful," Amu said simply.

Midori smiled. "As long as he treats you well, I'm fine with it." She followed Amu's gaze to her father. "Your father will be as well. Just give him some time."

Amu nodded. "Well, I'm going up to bed. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, dear," her mother replied.

"Goodnight, my sparrow," said her father, a little depressed. _At least he didn't run away to the bathroom…_

Amu quickly climbed the stairs to her room and turned on the lights. Her room was exactly as she had left it that night. For some reason, Amu thought it might be different. She had changed so much in the past few hours, she felt her room should reflect that.

Shaking her head, she pushed those thoughts away and laid her bag on her desk. Her four charas came up near her head.

"Amu, look!" said Ran excitedly, pointing to the window.

"What?" asked Amu, following Ran's gaze.

"Ikuto is still down there," replied Miki with a wink.

"He is?" asked Amu excitedly. Without pause, she opened the sliding door and stepped out onto her balcony and looked down. Sure enough, there was Ikuto standing outside the gate, handsome as ever, looking up at her with a smile on his face. Amu grinned back. "What are you still doing here?" she called down to him.

"I forgot to tell you something," Ikuto said mischievously.

"What?" asked Amu, already blushing.

"I love you, Amu," he replied, his gentle, loving gaze boring into her own.

"I-I love you too, Ikuto," she replied.

Satisfied, Ikuto turned and began to walk away down the sidewalk.

As Amu watched him go, she couldn't help but call out, "Will I see you tomorrow?"

Ikuto turned and winked mischievously, calling back, "You'll see."

Amu just smiled and went back into her room. Inside, her charas were floating by her desk. Amu sat down at her desk in a daze, a dopey smile permanently etched into her face.

"Someone's happy," said Miki with a snicker.

"As if you aren't, Miki," replied Ran. "I didn't see you or Yoru while we were watching Ikuto-kun and Amu-chan dance at the park."

"S-shut up, Ran," Miki replied with a blush.

"Well I'm glad Amu's happy, desu," said Su with a sweet smile, changing the topic, much to Miki's relief. "It's been so long since I've seen Amu-chan this happy."

"Indeed," agreed Dia. "Amu-chan's radiance is shining very brightly."

Amu just smiled at her charas. "I haven't felt this happy or secure in so long," Amu told them. "I never knew he was so important to me."

"Sure you did, Amu-chan," Miki replied. "You just didn't want to acknowledge it."

Amu smiled at Miki. "You're right," Amu replied. Miki smiled in return. "Well, it's time for bed. I'm exhausted."

"You're exhausted?" Su asked. "I spent all day helping Ikuto decorate the park!"

"I designed your outfit," chimed in Miki.

"And we distracted you!" said Dia and Ran in unison.

"And I thank you all very much for it," Amu replied with a smile as she walked over to her wardrobe to take out her pajamas.

"You're welcome, Amu-chan!" cheered all four of her charas in unison. Amu laughed at their enthusiasm even as she basked in her own. She was floating on cloud nine all the way to the bathroom. When she returned, teeth brushed, face washed, and pajamas on, her charas were already snuggled up in their eggs. Ran, Su, and Dia were already asleep, but Miki was busy sketching in her sketch book, a dreamy look in her eyes. Amu chuckled and had a fairly good idea as to what, or more appropriately, who, her little blue was thinking about.

"Did you have a good night with Yoru?" she asked Miki quietly as she climbed into bed.

Miki looked up from her sketch pad and blushed. She looked back down and scribbled more frantically on the paper. "Y-yes," she replied with a small smile.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" asked Amu.

Miki looked up at Amu as she recalled what had happened that night.

_ As Amu and Ikuto started to dance in the courtyard, Yoru came up behind Miki and gently took her hand as he led her away from the other three charas, who were smiling as they watched Amu and Ikuto dance, lost in each others' eyes._

_ "Where are we going?" whispered Miki, looking back at Ikuto and Amu, her fingers just itching to draw the couple._

_ "It's a surprise, nya," replied Yoru with a grin as he tugged her forward insistently. His eyes danced with excitement._

_ The excitement in Yoru's gaze as well as his dorky, charming insistence made Miki blushed as Yoru led her through the trees, all thoughts of Ikuto and Amu gone. After a few moments, they came to another fountain. A small section had been lit up with small lights and white flowers. Miki caught her breath. "Oh, Yoru," she sighed. "What's all this for?"_

_ "For you, nya," replied Yoru. He looked at her hesitantly as they floated closer to the fountain. "You're going to love it!"_

_ Miki grinned in excitement back at Yoru, causing a cute blush to rise to his cheeks. As they approached the area, she saw some food laid out on a blanket set up at the edge of the fountain. Yoru flew ahead and presented the setting with obvious pride. "Surprise, nya!"_

_ Miki giggled as she flew up to him and gave him a shy kiss on the cheek. Yoru blushed and then cleared his throat. "Um, sit down, nya."_

_ Miki graciously seated herself on a small cushion, looking at the food spread out on the small picnic blanket. There were several different kinds of cookies and cakes as well as a canister full of green tea, Miki's favorite. Next to the canister of green tea was a container of cream for Yoru._

_ The little cat chara sat down next to Miki on a small cushion beside her. "Try some, nya!" he told Miki with enthusiasm._

_Miki surveyed all the wonderful food on the blanket and eventually decided to try the strawberry cake in the center. "Where did you get all this food?" Miki asked as she tasted the strawberry cake. There was a wonderful explosion of deliciousness in her mouth. Her taste buds were pleased. "It's delicious!"_

_ "I made it," Yoru said with a smirk._

_Miki raised her eyebrows at the cat chara, not believing him for a second. "There's no way you made all this," she stated._

_Yoru sweat dropped and then laughed nervously. "I asked Su to make it," Yoru said sheepishly. "It didn't take much convincing for her to do it."_

_ Miki laughed and made a mental note to thank Su later. "That explains why it tastes so good," Miki replied. "Su's food is always the best." She dug into the rest of the cake and Yoru chuckled at her enthusiasm. Miki blushed. "Shut up."_

_ They spent the next half hour or so talking and laughing together, enjoying each others' company. Eventually, Miki inquired about what Ikuto and Yoru had been up to for the past six years._

_ "We've been traveling around," Yoru replied, "looking for Ikuto's dad, nya."_

_ "Well, I figured that," Miki replied, "but where did you go?"_

_ "Everywhere, nya!" Yoru exclaimed with a smile, spreading his arms in an expansive gesture. "We traveled all over Europe, Asia, and India. We even spent a month or two in America."_

_ "How could you possibly afford that?" Miki asked incredulously. " It had to be insanely expensive."_

_ "Ikuto joined a traveling symphony, nya," Yoru replied. "He auditioned and the director made him first chair, nya!"_

_ "Wow!" Miki replied, astonished. "That's amazing! And he's so young too!"_

_ "Yeah, Ikuto's pretty amazing," Yoru said, crossing his paws with obvious pride. Suddenly, Yoru glanced back through the trees._

_ "What wrong?" asked Miki._

_ "Ikuto is calling me, nya," Yoru replied. "I think he's taking Amu home."_

_ "That's probably our cue to go," Miki said with regret._

_ "Yeah," Yoru replied, scratching the back of his head. "I hope you had fun, Miki, nya," he said, looking at her shyly, offering a paw to help her up off the cushion._

_ Miki blushed, took his hand, and was soon pulled up by Yoru. "I had a lot of fun, Yoru. Thank you for a wonderful night." She leaned in and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek._

_ Yoru blushed and kiss her on the cheek in return. After looking shyly at her for a few moments, he took her hand to lead her away from the sparkling fountain and back towards Amu's house._

Miki smiled as the flash back ended, enjoying the warmth that was spreading in her heart. Instead of replying to Amu's question, she showed her the picture she had been sketching. It depicted her and Yoru, both laughing as they ate food and talked at the fountain.

Amu smiled as she appraised the picture. "I'm glad you had fun."

"It was magical, Amu-chan," Miki replied with a grin.

"I can imagine," Amu replied, briefly reliving her own magical evening with Ikuto. Dreamily, she climbed into bed. "Good night, Miki! I'm very glad that you had a magical evening like me," Amu said as she watched Miki put her sketchbook away, and snuggle in for the night.

"I'm glad you had a great time too, Amu-chan," Miki replied sleepily. "You and Ikuto-kun are good for each other." Amu barely made out the last few words of Miki's sentence as Miki drifted off to sleep.

Amu contemplated Miki's words as she turned off her bedside lamp and pulled the covers over herself. _I think Miki is right,_ Amu thought. _Our personalities are so different and he thinks about things differently than I do, but I think that's a good thing. I want someone who can bring out the best in me by equaling out my strengths and weaknesses. Whether Ikuto meant to do this or not, he always challenged me to do my very best. _It was with these thoughts in mind that Amu drifted off into unconsciousness with a rare, contented smile on her lips.

* * *

**Whew! I think I re-read and revised this chapter ten or fifteen times trying to get it right. I hope you guys liked it! I know it was a major fluff chapter but I'm pretty sure I meant for this entire story to be one giant ball of fluff. Also, I'm thinking there are only two chapters or so left before this story comes to an end. So sad!**

**Please review! Feel free to point out any errors, because I know I missed some. Also, let me know what you hope will be revealed at the end of the story! Tell me what you think and what you hope for before the closing of this story. I don't want to disappoint!**

**The most important reason to review, of course, is so that I keep writing. Honestly, it's the people who beg me not to take forever on the next chapter that push me to write. See you on the flip side!**

**~Xiajem~**


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